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MAKING THEM GROW 

in the 

MERTON G. ELLIS TEST GARDENS 

PORTLAND, OREGON 



























■ 







































WILLIAM G. BADGER 
(Coral Pink) 

MARIE KUNDERD 

(White) 

From Bulblets Four Months After Planting. 

Grown in 

The Merton G. Ellis Test Gardens, Portland, Oregon 





MAKING THEM GROW 


A TREATISE ON THE RAPID PROPAGATION OF 
THE NEW AND HIGHER PRICED GLADIOLI 

BY 

MERTON G. ELLIS 

_ >\ 

WITH SPECIAL ARTICLES ON ROTATION CROPS v 


PEONIES 

BY 

LEE R. BONNEWITZ 

TULIPS 

BY 

THE OREGON BULB CO. 


ROSES, DAHLIAS and IRISES 

BY 

MERTON G. ELLIS 


DELPHINIUMS 

BY 

CHAS. F. BARBER 


PANSIES 

BY 

MRS. MERTON G. ELLIS 







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3^-os 

,3s 


Copyright, 1923 

By 

MERTON G. ELLIS 
Portland, Oregon 



©Cl A 762985 

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OCT 24 1923 

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CONTENTS 


Page 

Making Them Grow. 9 

The Sun-Bath . 11 

Table of Bulb Sizes . 18 

Bulbs and Bulblets . 19 

Strains . 22 

The Location . 23 

Previous Soil Preparation. 25 

The Beds. 27 

Bulblet Germination. 29 

The Sprouting Cabinet . 32 

Temperature . 33 

The Sprouting Packs . 35 

Peeling the Bulblets. 36 

Planting Sprouted Bulblets . 38 

Lower Priced Varieties . 40 

Cultivation . 41 

Tools . 44 

Water . 48 

Fertilizers . 51 

Sand . 56 

Topping and Staking. 58 

Tent . 60 

Storage . 60 

Digging and Curing. 62 

Diseases . 65 

Moles and Other Enemies. 65 

Advertising . 66 

Packing and Shipment. 67 

Seeds and Crossing. 68 

Varieties . 71 

Rotation Crops . 75 

Peonies . 76 

Tulips . 86 

Roses . 96 

Dahlias . 100 

Irises . 101 

Delphiniums . 103 

Pansies . Ill 








































‘‘There’s a place I love to wander, 

In a garret dim and low, 

Where I sometimes sit and ponder 
On the days of long ago. 

And the treasure that is dearest, 

As it leans against the wall, 

Bringing thoughts of childhood nearest, 

Is the chair that rocked us all.” 

Thus softly sang our Grandma Breck 
Of the chair so broken and bare. 

But years have come and years have gone 
And again she writes of the chair: 

“ ’Twas a little comfort-rocker where my blessed Mother sat, 

And cuddled all her babies through the years; 

With prayer and song and sigh—and a ‘Bye low baby bye’ 

She hushed her helpless darlings, and wiped away their tears. 

In that very same low rocker, I too, rocked my precious brood, 
To the tender little story of ‘Bo Peep’. 

Oh, the rush of memories deep!—I can see them in their sleep— 
As they smile and gently murmur of the foolish little sheep— 
Breathing softly, ‘Now I lay me down to sleep’. 

Years have passed—the rocker loved and sacred as a shrine, 

Is broken—and would seem beyond repair, 

But I think it must be mended ere its days are wholly ended— 
For there are tiny toddlers—they are grandchildren of mine— 
Lately strayed from heavenly glory—and I want to tell a story— 
Hum a little hymn or prayer, holding close each cherub-darling 
In that same dear rocking chair!” 

So the chair is brought from its dim retreat, 

Where it leaned against the wall, 

That the tiny toddlers, full-fledged and flown, 

Fond memories may recall, 

And may think of it then as we think of it now, 

As “The chair that rocked us all.” 






THIS LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY 
DEDICATED TO 

G r a n d m a B r e c k 

AND HER LITTLE GRAND-CHILDREN 

AND TO 

THE GOLDEN MEMORIES WHICH CLING 
AND CLUSTER ABOUT 
“THE CHAIR THAT ROCKED US ALL” 



The quaint little old chair, in which Grandma Breck (my 
wife’s mother) sits, has been in the family for over a century. 
She once wrote a beautiful song about it, entitled, “The Chair 
That Rocked Us All.” Over 1500 songs of hers have been pub¬ 
lished, among them being, “Face to Face With Christ My 
Saviour,” “Help Somebody Today,” “When Love Shines In,” and 
many others which have gone round the world bearing their 
messages of faith and hope and love. 








. 








' 

















































Making Them Grow. 


This book deals primarily with the rapid propaga¬ 
tion of the new and higher priced gladioli, the most 
fascinating and the most profitable of all gardening. 

The demand for the best of the new varieties is 
enormous. To secure these in quantity in the short¬ 
est time is the first requisite to the greatest success 
in gladiolus growing. 

Even the medium-priced varieties of gladioli pro¬ 
duce more profit per square foot than any other garden 
product, and when it comes to the very new and high- 
priced ones, the results obtained are as if a fairy’s wand 
were working magic, but they are none the less real. 

When a new variety is first put on the market, it 
is usually quite scarce, and if it is better than any¬ 
thing of its type and gives evidence of being one which 
is reasonably sure to catch the popular fancy, we may 
well expect its introductory price to be quite high and 
to continue high for several years. As the stock is in¬ 
creased from year to year, the price will decrease, but 
it is a peculiar fact that the price of such a variety will 
not decrease nearly so fast as the grower can increase 
his stock if he uses the best methods of propagation. 

Mr. Kunderd spoke a great truth when he said that 
a variety is cheapest when it is highest in price. So as 




soon as possible after the introduction of 
a first-class variety we should purchase 
bulblets or young bulbs if they can be had; 
but usually at first these are not on the 
market and we shall have to content our¬ 
selves with the first size bulbs, commonly 
known as old bulbs. Then our next con¬ 
cern is the causing of these to make the 
greatest possible number of bulblets; then 
the making of the largest number of the 
bulblets germinate and in their turn pro¬ 
duce the greatest increase. 

We can actually make the bulbs and 
bulblets do much better than they ordi¬ 
narily would, and have often obtained 
quite remarkable results. I recall reading 
a statement by an eminent authority that 
a single bulb has sometimes been known 
to produce as many as 200 bulblets in a 
single season. We have had several varie¬ 
ties average better than that, among them 
being Golden Measure which so many 
growers have claimed is non-prolific. In 
the season of 1922, two large bulbs of Mrs. 
Leon Douglas together made 943 bulblets. 
J. A. Carbone and Mr. W. H. Phipps each 
made over 350 bulblets. Some growers 
have said that Mrs. H. E. Bothin is not 
prolific, but the five bulbs of that variety 
shown in the cut averaged over 500 bulb¬ 
lets each and our other bulbs of it went 
nearly as strong, in fact when selecting 
them for the picture it was somewhat dif- 


11 


ficult to determine which of them to take. Several of 
Diener’s new varieties went from 200 to 300 bulblets 
per bulb, in addition to those mentioned. But this state¬ 
ment must not be misunderstood. Not all varieties are 
prolific and it is probable that no methods of propaga¬ 
tion will ever be discovered whereby some of them can 
be made so, but most of them can be made to yield a 
greater number than is ordinarily the case. 

The bulblets are encased in a hard shell and though 
some germinate easily, it seems to be in the nature of 
many to lie dormant for a year before growing. But 
time is an all-important factor and we must make them 
grow the first year if we are to reap the greatest profit. 
Among the fine ones, Purple Glory and Diener’s Ameri¬ 
can Beauty proved poor germinators and gave us only 
40% and 30% respectively, till by use of the methods 
later described herein we have more than doubled this 
percentage of germination. Even with a small stock 
such an increase soon adds many hundreds of dollars 

to the value of the output. 

Although the rapid propagation of the high priced 
gladioli shall be our chief aim, incidentally a few hints 
will be given on the care of the medium and lower 
priced ones and also on certain rotation crops which 
may be used in adding greatly to the pleasure and profit 
of gardening. 

THE SUN - BATH 

The eyes on gladiolus bulbs are new bulbs in minia¬ 
ture. In other words, they are little bulbs set on top 
of the big bulbs. They are the real plants. The old 
bulb is merely a storehouse containing the food supply 
for the new plant, or plants. 


12 


Before making this discovery we had supposed that 
the sprout just grew up out of the bulb in some way 
and just kept pushing on up out of it until the plant 
was formed. But that is not so. The gladiolus bulb is 
a conn or solid bulb and is not composed of layers of 
thick leaves like daffodils, onions, etc. A careful exam¬ 
ination shows that the sprout does not come pushing up 
out of the old bulb, but it is a growth, or increase, in the 
size of the eye which itself is the new plant. The leaves 
push up out of the sprout but the base of the sprout 
remains fixed. So in planting bulbs, the eyes, which 
are the little new plants, are the things of importance 
to be considered. 

If planted deep, or if sprouted in the dark, the sprout 
will be long and white and slender, mostly top, and very 
small at the base. If the bulb is peeled and every bit of 
peeling taken from around the eye, then placed in the 
sunlight and sprouted there, the resulting eye will be 
very stubby and green and strong, and the first and 
greatest growth will be an enlargement of the base of 
the sprout. It will assume the appearance of a small 
bulb set on top of the old bulb, which in reality it is. 

Now in the rapid propagation of the new varieties 
we are not especially concerned with the making of 
large tops. But we do want new bulbs of the largest 
size and the greatest possible number of bulblets. 
Hence right in the beginning we should train up the new 
plant in the way in which we want it to go. We should 
cause it to begin at once the making of its new bulb 
and bulbiets. 

This is also the secret of why shallow planting pro¬ 
duces so many more bulblets than can be had with deep 



MR. W. H. PHIPPS 

Grown in 

The Merton G. Ellis Test Gardens 











14 


planting. If planted shallow the eye is up where it can 
get the air and sunlight at once and will begin the en¬ 
largement of its base immediately. If planted deep it is 
nearly smothered; all its energy goes into the pushing 
up of a top so that it can breathe, and the base, or new 
bulb, remains small, and it will not begin making bulb- 
lets so quickly. 

The sun is a wonderfully strong source of energy; 
all life on the earth is dependent upon it. A plant 
placed in a dark cellar will make a sickly white growth, 
often poisonous. But if grown in direct sunlight it will 
be sturdy and strong and full of health-giving proper¬ 
ties. 

Hence in the early spring we sprout our most valu¬ 
able bulbs in direct sunlight for two or three weeks 
before planting. And when they are planted, they are 
planted shallow. We have tried deep planting to our 
sorrow. 

If one has only a few bulbs they may be placed on 
window sills in rooms where they will not be too warm 
nor too dry. An early placing in the containers de¬ 
scribed in a later paragraph is advisable. The peeling 
is in layers around the eyes and this may be removed 
with the small blade of a pocket knife, being careful 
not to injure the eyes. 

Having a good many bulbs to sprout, I glassed in 
one end of a large porch, making a sort of sun parlor 
for them. They must have plenty of ventilation, other¬ 
wise they will get too warm and grow too rapidly. We 
want only a strong, sturdy, slow growth at first. The 
bulbs may be placed in crates or sacks, if there are too 
many to peel, and thus exposed to the sun; and this 
should help to some extent. It may be better to sprout 


15 

them in direct sunlight without glass but they must be 
protected at night against freezing. 

It is probable that the chemical change caused by 
the exposure to the sunlight may induce a stronger 
coloring in the florets later. 

This treatment also induces more eyes to sprout. We 
have quite a number of bulbs making from four to 
seven main spikes per bulb. There will be as many 
new bulbs as there are spikes. More room should be 
given in planting the bulbs which have several eyes 
sprouted. Some growers cut such bulbs and plant the 
pieces soon after cutting and as separate bulbs, and 
say they invariably grow. However, I doubt the wis¬ 
dom of cutting them in a climate such as ours where 
we are apt to have several long cold rains after plant¬ 
ing in the early spring, for the cut bulbs are apt to rot; 
and if these bulbs are given more room and not cut the 
results in the main will be about as good. 

Daffodil, tulip or hyacinth bulbs, in fact most bulbs, 
are composed of layers of fleshy leaves, and the bud or 
genii of the new plant is in the center of the bulb. This 
type of bulb, if planted in pots is best kept in the dark 
for about six weeks so that a strong root system may 
be developed. This kind of plant must depend through 
its entire growing season on the roots developed at the 
base of the old bulb. But the gladiolus bulb is entiiely 
different. It is that type of solid bulb known as a corm. 
It is not composed of layers of leaves and the germ of 
the new plant is not in the center ot the bulb but is in 
the eye on top of it. The roots which toini at the base 
of the old bulb are not the main roots but are only for 
the temporary use of the new plant while veiy young. 
Whbn the plant is from six inches to a foot tall it begins 


16 

sending out large fleshy roots from the base of the 
sprout and these soon become its main feeding roots. 
Some of its habits are more like those of the potato 
tuber than of the true bulb. The potato is a solid store¬ 
house of food for the eyes which are the new plants in 
miniature. The potato goes a bit farther and does not 
send out any roots from the tuber itself, but all roots 
grow out from the sprout. Now if the potato is sprouted 
in a warm dark place the resulting sprouts are long 
slender, sickly things and practically worthless, but if 
sprouted in direct sunlight the sprouts are very strong 
and sturdy and just right to produce the best crop. 

As illustrating the difference in the results which 
may be obtainable we will cite the case of a bulb of Ben¬ 
gal Tiger. This was a fine young first size bulb with 
high crown and just in the condition in which we might 
expect it to make the most bulblets. It was planted 
deep and without peeling or sprouting. It made only 
32 bulblets. The next year, though older and less liable 
to produce bulblets, it was peeled, sprouted in the sun¬ 
light, and planted shallow. It made over 200 bulblets. 
The 32 bulblets were peeled, soaked and planted under 
ordinary methods and gave about 68% germination. 
The 200 bulblets were sprouted in the sprouting cab¬ 
inet which we shall describe later and without peeling 
gave over 95% germination. Just one out of a number 
of instances we might mention. 

The grower with only a small number of the more 
expensive bulbs will find it profitable to start them 
indoors very early in the spring and transplant them 
later when the weather is suitable. By keeping them 
growing all summer, a month or two will be added to 
their growing season. This will add greatly to the size 


17 


and number of bulblets if carefully done. The best con¬ 
tainer we have found for this purpose, we make from 
what is known to the building trade as “metal lath.” 
This makes a container so stiff that it can be handled 
easily and the mesh is sufficiently small that no mole 
can get through it. The container may be made three 
or four feet long and about five inches wide and six 
inches deep. The sides should be brought almost to¬ 
gether at the top so that moles cannot get into it. It 
may be lined with moss or newspaper and tilled with 
fine dirt. The containers may be placed side by side 
indoors and will not take up much space. The bulbs 
may be peeled and placed firmly on top of the dirt and 
exposed to the sunlight. They should not be forced 
too rapidly. We want a strong sturdy growth. Then 
when it comes time to plant them outdoors, small 
trenches can be made, the containers placed in them in 
rows, and the bulbs covered to a depth of an inch or two 
with sand. Thus no injury is done to the root system 
in the transplanting. They should be kept well wa¬ 
tered and growing till just before freezing weather in 
the fall. Then they may be lifted, container and all, 
and cured very slowly in the drying shed. This gives 
a very long growing season and permits the bulblets to 
mature perfectly. Bulblets which spiout eailiest may 
be handled in the same manner. The Harris paper 
boxes are also excellent for starting early bulblets in¬ 
doors. 

In the not distant future I hope to try out what 
might be called a portable greenhouse. It could be cov¬ 
ered with 4x6-foot sash, which could be removed after 
danger of freezing is past in the spring and placed on 
again late in the fall. I believe that the increased bulb- 


18 


let production of the high priced varieties would more 
than pay for the greenhouse the first season. I do not 
know whether anyone has tried this but it would seem 
worthy of a trial in any climate where the normal grow¬ 
ing season is short. Those who love to experiment will 
doubtless try out the effect of glass of various colors, 
and also electricity. 


TABLE OF BULB SIZES 


No. 1 

1 V 2 " and up 

No. 4 
%" - 1 " 


No. 2 

ivu'-imt 

No. 5 

y 2 " - %" 


No. 3 

1" - iti" 

No. 6 

V2 " and less 


Some confusion exists in the numbering of the vari¬ 
ous sizes and for that reason we have inserted the 
table of sizes here so that we may be understood when 
referring to any size by number. This table is the 
one most generally accepted. The bulbs are graded ac¬ 
cording to the distance across their diameter. For in¬ 
stance, a No. 3 bulb is that size ranging from 1 to 1*4 
inches in diameter. A large No. 1 bulb is sometimes 
designated as an Extra size and may run anywhere 
from 2 to 4 inches in diameter. Some growers class 
anything above 1 inch in diameter as a No. 1 or first 
size bulb, but this is not generally the rule. 

Where the bulbs are grown in quantity the smaller 
sizes may easily be graded by passing them over 
screens having mesh of 1 / 2 -inch, %-inch, etc. Some 
use a grading stick made of a piece of lath or shingle 
having a row of notches cut along the side, the notches 
being 1 / 2 -inch, %-inch, 1 -inch, 114 -inches and 114 -inches 
in width. A bulb not quite large enough to fill the 
14 -inch notch would be No. 6. Or if a little too large 


19 


for this notch and not large enough to fill the %-inch 
notch it would be No. 5 and so on. 

Of the very high priced bulbs there is usually not 
sufficient quantity to grade and they are frequently 
listed as first size, half size and quarter size, with prices 
ranging accordingly. 

Some varieties, like Purple Glory, lor instance, 
make very large bulblets, as well as medium sized and 
small ones. The bulblets of such varieties are often 
graded into three sizes known as: Large, Medium and 
Small. On the other hand, some varieties make very 
small bulblets; a large bulblet of Mrs. Dr. Norton would 
be about the same size as a small bulblet of Purple Glory. 

• In the sale of bulblets, those which will pass through 
an 8-mesh screen should not be included. It has also 
become quite customary to give an additional 10% in 
count. Liberality will be remembered where price has 
long been forgotten. 


BULBS AND BULBLETS 

Small bulbs are sometimes called bulblets, but this 
is erroneous. A bulb is a bulb regaidless of size. A 
bulb grows from the eye of another bulb, bulblet or 
seed. & Bulblets grow on rootlike stems produced at the 
base of new bulbs. We sometimes speak of bulblets 
produced from bulblets, but this is not literally tiue, 
bulblets from bulblets really grow on stems from the 
base of the new bulb growing on top of the original 

bulblet. 

Bulbs are enclosed in several layers of paper-like 
coverings. Bulblets are encased in hard shells. Some- 


20 


times bulbs are called corms and bulblets are designated 
as cormels. 

A healthy bulb almost never fails to grow, but the 
germination of a large percentage of the bulblets of 
most varieties is quite a problem and is treated of at 
length under Germination. 

Bulbs from seeds are known as seedlings and do 
not come true to the parent plants. They are usually 
inferior, but in rare instances one is superior. That is 
the way new varieties are produced. 

Bulblets come true to the mother bulb, although 
even yet we sometimes see an article by someone ques¬ 
tioning this. It is only on the very rarest occasion that 
one does not come true. When one of this sort appears 
it is called a sport and is sometimes worthy of a place 
as a new variety, but not often. Out of a great many 
thousands we have found only one sport; it was from 
a Purple Glory bulblet and is very strangely marked. 

When a bulb produces two or more bulbs the result¬ 
ing bulbs are spoken of as divisions. Strictly speaking, 
there is no actual division. The old bulb does not di¬ 
vide. It is simply the growing of more than one eye. 

All bulbs are produced new each year, hence there 
is really no such thing as an old bulb, for the parent 
bulb shrivels and dies. But it is a convenient term to 
use, and if we say that one bulb is a year older than an¬ 
other, we mean that it is a year farther removed from 
the original bulblet. Of course, it is understood that we 
are speaking entirely of gladioli when we mention bulbs, 
unless they are otherwise designated. 

For commercial purposes, bulbs are grown from 
bulblets, and they are at their best the second or third 


21 


year. After that they are usually less vigorous. If we 
want lots of bulblets we must plant young bulbs. 

It used to be thought that one must wait till about 
the third year before a bulb of good blooming size 
could be had from the bulblet. But by the methods of 
growing described herein we not only get a great many 
first size but even some extra size bulbs from bulblets 
the first season. They should produce their best spikes 
of bloom in most cases the second year, but it is seldom 
we fail to get some large spikes of almost every variety 
from the bulblets themselves the first year. At this 
writing, in the fore part of August, we have large spikes 
in full bloom of Dr. F. E. Bennett, Dr. Van Fleet, Die- 
ner’s American Beauty, Henry Ford, Jewell, Golden 
Measure, Purple Glory, Marie Kunderd, Stanford, Mrs. 
John S. Wood, Mrs. Leon Douglas, Arlon, Rose Ash, 
Wm. G. Badger, Mrs. Richard Lohrman, Golden Gleam, 
Ming Toy, Marietta, Topaz, from bulblets planted only 
about four months ago; and Mr. W. H. Phipps, J. A. 
Carbone, Elf, Mrs. H. E. Bothin, Wm. Kent, Jewell, 
Madison Cooper, Bengal Tiger, and many others, will 
soon be in bloom from bulblets planted this spring. 

When bulbs of any variety become cheap enough 
to be used for cut flowers, the bulblets have but little 
value; but while the bulbs are yet very scarce and high 
in price, the bulblets have a very high value, and, de¬ 
pending on the ease of germination, from five to ten 
bulblets are worth more than a first size bulb for pur¬ 
poses of propagation. 


22 


STRAINS 



In the same 
variety, strains 
may develop dif¬ 
fering from each 
other greatly in 
vigor. In view of 
this, we must be 
careful in the se¬ 
lection of o u r 
“start.” Not 
enough attention 
has been paid to 
this in the past, 
but it is apparent 
that if we are to 
get the most pos¬ 
sible out of our 
bulbs and bulb- 
lets they must be 
from the most 
sturdy and vigor¬ 
ous strain pro¬ 
curable. Their im¬ 
mediate ancestry 
counts for much. 
It is probable that a weak strain may result from 
any one, or all, of the following causes: removal of 
too many leaves when cutting the flower spike; failure 
to irrigate properly; growing year after year on the 
same soil; improper use of fertilizers; improper stor¬ 


age 


allowing the 


growing 


plants to be choked by 






23 


weeds; lack of cultivation, or cultivating too deep when 
the plant has reached blooming size; or permitting the 
bulbs to become diseased. 

Having once become weakened, I doubt if they will 
ever fully recover even in the hands of the most expert 
grower. I was once informed by a prominent grower 
that he obtained Europa from three different sources. 
Two of these lots were very weak, non-prolific, and in 
spite of his best efforts, were practically worthless; 
but the third lot was very strong and vigorous. I have 
noticed this difference in strain in quite a number of 
varieties. 

We were fortunate in obtaining a start of Golden 
Measure of a very strong strain. One of the bulblets 
threw a bloom spike 41/2 feet tall the first season, as 
may be seen in the picture of little Marion holding the 
two Measures. The strain seems to be improving. It is 
very prolific, some single bulbs producing as many as 
five new bulbs and several hundred bulblets. Quite a 
number of the bulblets are blooming, which is rather 
unusual in this variety. 

A large bulblet production, early blooming of the 
bulblets and a high percentage of bulblet germination 
are indications of health and vigor. It is not enough 
that a variety generally should show this, but the strain 
from which our “start” is secured should show it, other¬ 
wise we cannot compete. 

THE LOCATION 

A friend of ours selected a dry knob of rather heavy 
clay soil with no water available except from a 30 -foot 


24 


well and but little water in it. He has succeeded in 
growing' some weeds and a mortgage. Gladioli will 
grow there of course, but of very poor quality. They 
will grow almost anywhere, but the kind of soil on 
which they are grown means much. 

We prefer a light loam in which there is so much 
humus and sand that it can be worked without injury 
when w^t. With us here both the planting and dig¬ 
ging come in our rainy seasons. We would rather have 
some gravel than clods but don’t want even the gravel 
if we can avoid it. The soil is apt to be too light where 
there is gravel and the gravel is also a great nuisance 
in cleaning the bulblets. 

We are now using a fine alluvial soil, rich and well 
drained. We cover the beds with about half an inch 
of sand to prevent packing or baking after irrigation. 
The sand serves the same purpose as a dust mulch and 
keeps the soil mellow and moist, assisting greatly in 
the germination of the bulblets. We also have a creek 
of rather warm water containing sediment and with 
only a seven-foot lift for the pump. The garden lies so 
as to get plenty of sunshine. 

Growers have said, when seeing our flowers and 
learning of our enormous bulblet production, “My, but 
you must have good soil!” We don’t deny it. Why not 
have good soil? 

If a local retail business is desired, it is well to have 
the gardens where the public can see them, but if a 
wholesale or mail order business is the end in view, 
and this in my opinion is by far the more profitable, 
then a more sequestered nook should be chosen. 


25 


Then, too, the desirability of the location as a home 
must be remembered. Our gardens should not be too 
far from the house for we should give them a daily in¬ 
spection to see that all is going well. 

Not a large acreage is required in any one season. 
Something amazing how the high priced varieties will 
run into real money on a small tract. Vastly more 
money in growing five dollar bulbs than five cent ones, 
with a demand for more of them than can be produced, 
even at a time when the growers may be throwing the 
cheaper ones away. 

In spite of every precaution some bulblets will re¬ 
main in the ground when digging, so we must use new 
soil each year. We can lessen the initial investment by 
renting adjoining land. 

Sandy soil, free from weeds, will lessen the cost of 
production. Then above all, plenty of water must be 
readily available for irrigation. 

PREVIOUS SOIL PREPARATION 

The year before the soil is to be used for gladioli 
it is well to plant it to oats and vetch, or some other 
good growing cover crop which can later be turned 
under. We have planted such a crop in the spring, and 
just when it had reached the point when a farmer 
would cut it for hay, it was plowed under deep. Imme¬ 
diately we planted it again and early the next spring 
plowed this under. 

With such treatment the soil was in fine condition. 
It was amazing how much more easily this soil could 
be worked than soil alongside it which had not been so 


26 


treated. The finest crop of all to turn under is a big 
stand of clover, but it takes longer to get it. 

Gladioli are like potatoes in their soil requirements. 
They like plenty of humus and do best on new soil. 
They should be grown on new soil each year for several 
reasons: they are less liable to become diseased; new 
soil contains the best proportion of food elements; and 
above all, they must be grown on new soil to prevent 
mixing with the bulblets remaining in the soil after 
digging. 

At the time of growing the cover crop a good dress¬ 
ing of dehydrated lime should be applied. This sweet¬ 
ens the soil and lasts for several years. It should not 
be applied at the same time that other fertilizer is put 
on for it causes a too-rapid release of ammonia. 

It is well to apply a heavy top dressing of well- 
rotted cow manure the fall before planting. 

With such cover crops, fertilizers, deep plowing and 
thorough working of the soil we should have the beds 
in such fine condition before planting that they would 
satisfy even the most exacting Scotch rose grower. 

A 

And then we will go him one better. After the last 
deep plowing early in the spring, as soon as the soil 
is dry enough to work without injury, we will go over 
the surface to a depth of about six inches with a rake 
about sixteen inches wide with teeth only slightly bent, 
and rake out every bit of sod and trash of all kinds, 
leaving this surface soil fine and loose. If this is thor¬ 
oughly done the remainder of our cultivation for the 
season will be easy, and we are ready to mark off and 
stake the beds. 


27 


THE BEDS 

The size and arrangement of the beds depends on 
the value of the stock to be grown; also whether they 
are to contain bulbs or bulblets. 

For the highest priced bulblets we prefer beds seven 
feet wide and 30 to 40 feet long. These beds may 
be placed side by side, with paths about 15 inches in 
width between them. The rows are a foot apart and 
seven feet long and run crosswise of the beds. The 
rows and paths should be laid out in absolutely straight 
lines. 

The reason I prefer rows seven feet long is that 
I can weed and cultivate this length of row without 
stepping on the bed, the work all being done from the 
path. Thus it is easy to keep the soil loose. This length 
of row also easily fits the portable 8x10 tent which I 
sometimes use in both digging and planting if the 
weather is bad. 

With the little wire weeder rake, described under 
Tools, I can stand in the path and reach to the path on 
the opposite side of the bed, and with one sweep of the 
wire weeder, bring it clear across the bed and take out 
all the weeds between rows. This does a fine job of cul¬ 
tivating as well as weeding. With it I can go over a se¬ 
ries of 20 such beds in from one to two hours. Merely 
an after-supper job. 

The bulblets are planted from one to two inches 
apart in the row, depending on the value and vigor of 
the variety, and should give us the first season many 
first and extra size bulbs and a large number of 

bulblets. 


28 


The above, I believe, is the best kind of bed for the 
varieties highest in price. 

For the more moderate priced bulblets, or those 
which we might term as medium priced, a bed on a 
larger scale is preferable. The rows in it may be 25 
feet long and the series of beds arranged so that each 
row will be in line with a row in the neighboring beds. 
Then with the Barker weeder, the cultivating can be 
done between each row for the length of the entire 
series of rows without turning for each row. The rows 
may be about six or eight inches in width and the bulb- 
lets sown in them quite thickly, just how thickly de¬ 
pending on their value, for the more room is given, the 
larger the resulting bulbs will be when dug in the fall 
and the more bulblets they will produce. When given 
room we estimate that on an average each bulblet will 
produce at least 25 bulblets the first season, some va¬ 
rieties making a great many more than this, but if 
crowded they will not make nearly so many bulblets. If 
planted at a uniform depth, digging will be greatly 
facilitated. 

With the rows about six to eight inches in width, 
a space of about 18 inches should be left between rows. 
If the space between every other row is made about 
24 inches, it will be useful as a working row. 

For weeding purposes, a plank 24 feet long will be 
useful. It will require a man at each end of the plank 
to lift it from one row to the next. Thus two men can 
weed on the same plank, placing it between every alter¬ 
nate row where the wide distances are. 

This kind of bed is going to require more hand weed¬ 
ing than the smaller bed first described. Many more 


29 

bulbs can be grown on it per square foot, but the in¬ 
crease will not average so large per bulb. 

If about half an inch of sand has been placed over 
the rows, we will not be troubled with the soil baking 
in the rows, the germination will be greatly improved 
and the soil will hold moisture better. This thick plant¬ 
ing will tend to prevent the growth of later crops of 
weeds. 

Either of the above methods may be used for bulbs 
as well as for bulblets. The bulbs may be planted from 
two to eight inches apart in the row, depending on 
their size and value. If sand is not available I prefer 
single rows for they are more easily cultivated and 
packing of the soil prevented. If sand is available, then 
I prefer wider rows for bulbs—what might be called 
double or triple rows; that is, two or three rows planted 
side by side about four inches apart and a distance of 
18 inches to two feet before making another series of 
double or triple rows. If planted shallow, it will be 
necessary to stake, and the double or triple rows are 
more convenient for this and take less stakes and twine. 

BULBLET GERMINATION 

Of all the varied phases of gladiolus growing, this is 
the most important. The expert grower does not think 
so much of his bulbs as he does of his bulblets, for 
herein lies his capital and his greatest source of future 
profit. 

In our own growing we have given more thought to 
this matter than to any other, and in most instances 
have finally been able to obtain most excellent results. 
This season (1928) several varieties have given us 


30 


practically 100% and many varieties have given us bet¬ 
ter than 95%. We have more than doubled the per¬ 
centage of germination we used to get from Purple 
Glory and Diener’s American Beaut}^. 

In order to get the best germination we must go 
back to the time of digging. This should be done as 
late in the season as possible so as to give the bulblets 
the best opportunity to mature. Leave the bulblets at¬ 
tached to the bulb in so far as possible for a month or 
two and cure slowly. Then when the bulbs are cleaned 
the bulblets may be left in the dirt. When thoroughly 
ripened, the bulblets may be cleaned at any time dur¬ 
ing the winter and stored in very fine dirt which has 
passed through a 12-mesh screen (fly screen). Fine 
dirt is better than sand in which to store bulblets, as it 
retains moisture, even though it may look dry. Sand 
dries too quickly. 

The bulblets should be kept in a separate room from 
that in which the bulbs are stored. The bulbs should 
be kept rather dry, while for the bulblets there should 
be more moisture in the air. This may be supplied by 
the steam from an occasional tub of hot water. Here 
in our Willamette Valley climate the air usually con¬ 
tains plenty of moisture. 

The bulblets should be kept just dry enough that 
they will not sprout to any extent till we are ready for 
them to. If they are kept too wet there is danger of 
mold and rot, and if they show any signs of this they 
should be washed and spread in the sunshine and dried 
a little. 

Having gotten the bulblets safely through the win¬ 
ter, the next task is to make them grow. This is the 
thing which is apt to fill the beginner with alarm, espe- 


cially his second season, for unless he has had better 
success than most, he has found by more or less bitter 
experience that of the bulblets he planted the first 
season many were never seen in any form again. 

A few varieties will germinate very readily, but most 
varieties will not give more than from 30% to 70% 
germination, unless special treatment is given, and 
some will show only a lone straggler here and there. 
But we can make them do better. 

The beginner usually finds that he has kept his 
bulblets too dry in storage and that he did not peel and 
soak them before planting. Then he plunges to the 
other extreme and keeps them too wet and soaks them 
too long. Possibly as he peeled them he has placed them 
in a bowl of warm water (as he should) and has thought 
to plant them in a day or so, only to find that a long 
cold rain has set in. Then he has been on pins and 
needles for a week or two or three, and not knowing 
what better to do, has still kept them soaking in water, 
perhaps changing the water often, but not getting 
much results in the way of sprouting them. In fact, 
some are becoming water logged, and he is wasting 
much time and patience over them. And after all this 
soaking, many of them are in fine condition to rot when 
he does finally succeed in planting them. The sprout¬ 
ing cabinet and the sand box, described a little later, 
offer simple solutions to this problem. 

In his Nursery Book, in the chapter on seed testing, 
Mr. Bailey shows that a much greater percentage of 
germination of hard shelled seeds may be secured by 
the use of various kinds of indoor seed testing devices. 
Bulblets are very similar to hard shelled seeds. We 
have constructed a device which is perhaps more simple 


32 


than the ones he describes, but which is quite effective 
in sprouting bulblets. We may refer to it as the sprout¬ 
ing cabinet or incubator. 

The remainder of what is said on Bulblet Germina¬ 
tion will be considered under the following headings: 
The Sprouting Cabinet, Temperature, The Sprouting 
Packs, Peeling the Bulblets, Planting Sprouted Bulblets 
and Germinating the Lower Priced Varieties. 

THE SPROUTING CABINET 

This is a most valuable device in the sprouting of 
bulblets and adds greatly to the certainty of a high per¬ 
centage of germination. 

By sprouting a bulblet we mean the visible growth 
of either the eye or root. Both usually begin growth 
at about the same time, but the root usually shows the 
longest growth first. We prefer to sprout all of the 
higher priced ones before planting, for once sprouted, 
they seldom fail to come up. 

Our sprouting cabinet is made of glass sash, ordi¬ 
nary window sash will do, loosely put together so there 
will be plenty of ventilation. It may be constructed at 
an expense of from five to ten dollars. 

We use glass so that the bulblets may sprout in 
strong light. This tends to make the sprouts, both 
from the eyes and roots, stubby and strong, rather than 
long and weak. We place the cabinet in an East win¬ 
dow where it will get the early morning light. 

A convenient size of cabinet is about four feet long, 
two and one-half feet deep and three feet tall. It may 
be set on a small table or on legs of its own, bringing 
the bottom of it to about the same height as a table. 


38 


This size of cabinet has a capacity of from fifty thou¬ 
sand to one hundred and fifty thousand bulblets. Small 
board shelves may be placed in the ends of the cabinet 
and it is convenient to have one side of the cabinet com¬ 
posed of two doors, opening at the middle. This size can 
be moved from one room to another and will pass 
through an ordinary doorway. 

One of the very simplest germinating devices con¬ 
sists of a box of sand placed in a warm room. The peeled 
bulblets, after being soaked about 24 hours in warm 
water, may be put in cloth sacks, placed in the box and 
covered with one or two inches of sand. The sand 
should be kept damp but not wet. This is so far ahead 
of trying to sprout the bulblets in water that theie is 
no comparison. This works well for a small number of 
bulblets, but for a larger number the sprouting cabinet 
is much more convenient. 

TEMPERATURE 

Mr. Bailey says that in sprouting hard shelled seeds 
the two most essential elements are uniform tempera¬ 
ture and uniform moisture. He advises a temperatuie 
of 50 to 70 degrees. Bulblets will stand even a wider 
range. We find a temperature of about 60 degrees 
very effective for the earlier sprouting, in fact would 
rather have it a little less than more than that for the 
earlier germination, for the bulblets will be more hardy 
and in better condition to stand the cold rains which 
may come early in the spring. As the weather be¬ 
comes warmer the temperature in the cabinet may be 
increased to 80 or 90 degrees. 

At first I had intended placing a small oil heater 


34 


under the cabinet, with a large flat pan or a tea kettle 
of hot water on it so that the steam would supply the 
moisture and the temperature could be regulated pretty 
much the same as an incubator. 

But in looking about for a place to put the cabinet 
I noticed that the parlor had a fairly even tempera¬ 
ture of about 60 degrees, and while I confess that the 
cabinet was not anything great in the way of an orna¬ 
ment, yet it proved to be about the most interesting 
piece of furniture we ever had. And having it in a 
place of this temperature we did not need to use the 
heater. 

A little later in the season, for those bulblets which 
have been slow in sprouting, a temperature as high as 
80 to 100 degrees may be advisable. Bulblets of the 
various varieties differ greatly from each other in 
their requirements, and it will take some little time 
to ascertain exactly as to what may be best for any 
particular kind. 

One or two electric light bulbs placed in the sprout¬ 
ing cabinet will assist very materially in maintaining a 
uniform temperature as they give out considerable 
heat. The light may also be of value. 

We have had no trouble whatever with the bulblets 
souring. A grower who used a refrigerator for his 
sprouting cabinet had some trouble in that respect. It 
would appear his trouble was caused by his cabinet 
being too tight, not letting in sufficient air for venti¬ 
lation; this, combined with keeping them too wet and 
too warm, would doubtless cause them to sour. 

Nor have we had any trouble with mildew or mold. 
Any such tendency could be prevented by changing the 
bulblets to new sacks occasionally. However, it will 


35 


be found that not all bulblets are sound. Any unsound 
bulblets will likely show some mold within the first 
two or three days and these unsound bulblets can then 
be removed for they are of no value and will only tend 
to damage the good ones. Burlap sacks, which decay 
easily, should not be used. 

THE SPROUTING PACKS 

For these we use small flour sacks, the size of the 
sack depending on the number of bulblets of a kind. 
First the sacks are boiled in hot water for a few min¬ 
utes to kill any disease germs. Then a thin layer of 
cotton batting is placed inside the sack. The bulblets 
should have already been soaked in warm water for 
24 hours. 

The sack is spread flat on a table and the bulblets 
are placed on the center of the sack (not inside it), the 
wooden nursery label having been wired to the top of 
the sack. Now thinking of the sack as divided into 
three equal parts, the bottom third of the sack is then 
folded over the bulblets. Then the two sides are folded 
over for a distance of about two inches, and then the 
top third of the sack is folded over all, leaving the label 
in view, and making a flat pack. 

Several of these packs may be stacked one on top 
of the other. If the folding is carefully done no strings 
are necessary. Thus the pack may easily and quickly 
be examined every two or three days and the sprouted 
bulblets removed. The sprouted bulblets may be placed 
in an unglazed earthenware saucer on which has been 
placed a piece of wet blotting paper or a few thick¬ 
nesses of wet newspaper, and may be planted at once 
or several days later. 


36 


A very simple sprouting pack for a very few bulblets 
consists of a couple of layers of cotton batting. We 
placed six peeled bulblets of Henry Ford in such a pack, 
without previous soaking, sprinkled a few drops of 
water on the cotton, and placed them in the sprouting 
cabinet with a temperature of about 60 degrees. Within 
24 hours all had started roots, some of which were a 
quarter of an inch long. Then we treated some bulb¬ 
lets of Dr. F. E. Bennett the same way, but examined 
them more quickly, and found within 12 hours all had 
started roots, some of which were more than an eighth 
of an inch in length. 

On the other hand, some varieties which finally 
gave a high percentage of germination are very slow 
in starting to sprout. Next season we must remember 
to start these a month or so earlier. 

A few varieties will prove very obstinate and if 
after trying them a couple of seasons we do not get a 
good germination, they had better be discarded, for 
unless a variety is a reasonably good germinator it will 
never be in great demand among the florists as a cut 
flower variety. To make the most profit in the busi¬ 
ness we must grow the varieties which are to be the 
most popular. 

PEELING THE BULBLETS 

To secure the highest germination, bulblets should 
be peeled. By peeling, we do not mean that it is neces¬ 
sary to remove all of the outside covering. That is 
perhaps how the term originated. But by peeling, we 
mean any cracking, tearing or removal of any part of 
the shell so that air and moisture can get in. 


87 


We believe that it may be better even that most 
of the shell remain on the bulblet, for we have often 
noticed in our sprouting cabinet that where one-hall 
of the shell is removed and the other half left on, that 
the first rootlet to be made by the bulblet usually ap¬ 
pears on the side where the shell is, apparently for the 
reason that the piece of shell helps to retain moisture 
or a more even temperature. 

If one does not have time to peel the bulblets early 
in the spring, it is well to begin sprouting them quite 
early without peeling them first. Over half of most 
varieties will sprout without peeling and we need not 
bother to peel the remainder till they seem to have 
reached the point where not many are sprouting; these 
may then be spread in the sunshine for a day 01 tw o. 
This will dry the shell so that they may be peeled more 
easily. The shell may in some varieties easily be cracked 
between the fingers or we may use the small blade of 

a pocket knife, or tweezers. 

In peeling the larger bulblets, like Purple Glory, we 
prefer to open the base of the bulblet as they are less 
liable to be injured than if the end is opened where 
the eye is, for it will be found that quite a number have 
already commenced to grow. As they are peeled they 
should be placed in very warm water for a few hours 
and again placed in a pack in the sprouting cabinet. It 
will be found that many of these will sprout in a few 
days. Rose Ash went over 85% and Bengal Tiger over 
95% for us without peeling. Some others, especially 
where the bulblets have been grown from bulblets or 
from very young bulbs, will do nearly as well. So it 
is quite a saving in effort to leave the peeling till we 
have sprouted as many as possible first. However, we 


38 


prefer to peel all of the very high priced ones before 
beginning the sprouting, as they will sprout more 
quickly and can be planted earlier. We must plant early 
to get the most increase. 

PLANTING SPROUTED BULBLETS 

In handling the high priced varieties, we aim to 
sprout all of the bulblets before planting. We examine 
the sprouting packs every two or three days and pick 
out the bulblets which have sprouted. Small tweezers 
are handy for this purpose. The best tweezers we have 
found for this we have made ourselves in a few seconds 
of time, simply by bending the flat wire springs which 
are commonly used on Economy fruit jars in holding 
the tops on when cooking. The ends of these springs 
are brought around to within about half an inch of 
each other, leaving the rest of the spring in a heart 
shape. 

While the sprouted bulblets may be kept for some 
time in the saucers in which wet blotting paper has 
been placed, we like to plant them as soon as pos¬ 
sible, and in fact do not let them accumulate for long. 

Some have said, “It rains so much in the spring, I 
don’t see how you can be sure to get them planted 
when they ought to be.” 

Now this was once rather a hard problem, but it 
really doesn’t bother us much anymore. We take ad¬ 
vantage of the first good weather early in the spring 
to prepare as many beds as possible and during each 
period of good weather we go over them again so as to 
keep them free from weeds and have them ready. Each 
cultivation kills thousands of weeds, so the longer the 


39 


actual planting can be delayed the less weeds we will 
have to contend with. And the moment the bulblets 
have been placed in the sprouting cabinet they have in 
reality been planted as far as earliness is concerned. 

The medium priced and cheaper varieties can be 
planted when the intervals of good weather come, as it 
is not so important as to how many of them have 
sprouted. We use more care with the higher priced 
ones. 

As it is desirable that each variety be planted in 
its own bed and that if there are several rows of one 
kind, that the rows be grouped together, rather than 
scattered here and there, it is well to have sufficient 
beds prepared early so that this can be done. W e aim 
to keep several of the little planting trenches, about 
half an inch deep, prepared in advance, so that it a rain 
comes they will be ready without having to stir the v et 
soil. We use a board between rows to stand on when 
planting. If there are only a small quantity of bulblets 
of a kind sprouted, they may be planted in these drills 
between showers and a small quantity of dirt brought 
from a place where it has been kept dry and spread over 
them for a depth of about half an inch. As sand can 
be handled any time, wet or dry, it can be spread over 
the beds from a quarter to half an inch deep after they 
are planted. 

If we have quite a number of bulblets to plant and 
it is raining, we use a tent. The tent is 8x10 feet and 
stretched on a portable frame. It is hand\ to ha\e moie 
than one tent. The tent is placed lengthwise over the 
bed before the rain and the soil is thus kept dm. Oi 
if the little trenches have been previously prepared, the 
tent may be taken from one bed to another and the 


40 


planting done even though it may be raining pitch- 
forks. One man can easily slide the tent down the 
paths, but it will require two persons to lift it from one 
path to another. This size of tent fits the beds, which 
are seven feet wide. 

If the sun is shining, or a dry wind is blowing, we 
prefer to plant the sprouted bulblets either in the morn¬ 
ing or evening. If they are very valuable ones, they 
may be handled with the tweezers in planting. 

By sprouting the bulblets before planting, oppor¬ 
tunity is given for the killing of a great many weeds and 
for working the beds into the best possible condition, 
as it is much easier to do these things before the ac¬ 
tual planting is done. No matter how well prepared the 
beds should be worked over again just before planting 
if the ground is not too wet to work. 

Late plantings produce but small increase. If we 
want lots of bulblets we must plant early. 

GERMINATING THE LOWER PRICED 

VARIETIES 

If one has a large quantity of bulblets of the cheaper 
or medium priced cut flower varieties, and if they 
have been kept stored in fine dirt, an easy and effective 
method of handling them is as follows: 

After screening them from the dirt, place them in 
the sunshine for a day or two, spread thinly so that 
they will dry. This will tend to loosen the shell. 

Then they may be taken up a handful at a time and 
rubbed between the palms of the.hand so as to crack 
the shells. Next, place them in very warm water for 
24 hours. Then spread them on flour sacks, leaving a 


41 


few inches margin at the sides so that the sides of the 
sack may be folded over and the sack rolled up and 
tied around each end. This makes what is known to 
the florists as a rag doll. 

The rag dolls may then be laid on shelves, preferably 
in a warm room where there is plenty of light. They 
should be kept moist but not wet. They may be kept 
this way for a week or a month, depending on the ease 
and quickness with which the variety germinates. They 
may be so kept till the first bulblets to germinate have 
made roots from one to two inches long. Some of these 
will be broken off in planting, but don’t worry, they will 
make more roots. And anyhow, these first roots are 
probably not of very lasting value, their main purpose 
appearing to be to assist the young plant in its early 
history, for a little later the main feeding roots will 
grow at the base of the new bulb which forms on top of 
the bulblet. 

These bulblets may be planted very thickly in wide 
drills at a uniform depth, covered with half an inch of 
dirt, and the dirt pressed or firmed over them. Then if 
this be covered with half an inch of sand, we have an 
excellent germinating medium, for the soil will be moist 
and mellow beneath the sand. 

CULTIVATION 

If anyone had asked me as to the purpose of culti¬ 
vation, when I was a boy back on the old farm, I would 
unhesitatingly have replied, “To kill weeds.” 

A little later, as my gardening knowledge ad¬ 
vanced, I would have said, “To maintain a dust mulch 
so that the capillarity of the soil will be broken up and 
the moisture retained.” 


42 


But important as those purposes are, I believe now 
that even of more importance is the aeration of the 
soil so that the plant food may be the more readily 
available. Many kinds of bacteria are constantly at 
work on the soil particles and many chemical changes 
take place and for both of these air is needed. I be¬ 
lieve that the rootlets themselves need air. 

Our deep cultivation should be done before the 
actual planting. If a cover crop of clover, or oats and 
vetch, is grown the preceding year, it should be plowed 
under when it has reached a growth about right for 
hay, and the plowing should be deep. Then when the 
beds are prepared, there should be a deep working of 
the soil. Then the very deep cultivation should cease. 

A few days after the beds are planted, the surface 
may be raked over lightly so as to break up any crust 
and many small weeds will be killed. However, if about 
half an inch of sand has been spread over the beds, 
there will be no crust to break up and if the method of 
sprouting before planting has been used and the beds 
have been thoroughly worked just before planting, the 
gladioli will have the start of the weeds. Then by use 
of the wire weeder described elsewhere we shall elim¬ 
inate the weed problem. It is only very early in the 
spring that weeds give us any concern for we aim to 
cultivate so often during the growing season that they 
will have no chance. It goes without saying that weeds 
should not be allowed to grow in the beds, nor in the 
paths either, and the smaller they are the more easily 
they are killed. Best to kill them even before they show 
above the surface of the soil. 

The beds should be cultivated as soon as the soil 
can be worked safely after a rain or irrigation, so that 



DIENER’S AMERICAN BEAUTY 

(From a Small Bulb) 



44 


the soil will be kept loose and a dust mulch maintained. 
They should not be worked when the soil is too wet or 
clods will be formed and more harm done than good. 
An easy way to tell whether the soil is too wet to work 
is to take a handful of it and try to work it into a mud 
ball. If the mud ball can be made it is too wet to work, 
but if the ball of dirt persists in crumbling it is safe 
to work. 

As previously stated, the very deep cultivation 
should be done before planting. Then the soil can still 
be worked a few inches deep till the plants are about 
half blooming size. This will cause the first roots to go 
deeper. Shortly before the bulbs begin to bloom they 
make an enormous root growth and the soil, even up to 
the surface, is soon full of tiny rootlets. The plant 
needs these and they should not be cut off. So from 
this time on, the cultivation should be very shallow— 
just enough to maintain a fine dust mulch. Nor should 
the later cultivation be too close to the plants, other¬ 
wise bulblets will be dislodged. 

As our methods of cultivation depend on the size 
and kind of beds used, we have taken this up to some 
extent in describing the beds; and in considering the 
tools to be used, we will again take up cultivation. 


TOOLS 

Among the shovels and rakes and cultivators and 
what not, we have found a few tools which seem better 
than anything else and we will describe them briefly, 
for much of the pleasure in gardening, as well as the 
good results obtained, depend on the kind of tools used. 


45 


For the beds which are 7 feet wide by 30 or 40 feet 
long, with rows a foot apart, after the ground has been 
thoroughly plowed or spaded, few tools will be needed, 
but these few are quite indispensable. 

First, a rake 16 inches wide, with teeth just slightly 
bent. Now we used to think that a rake is a rake, but 
we find there are many kinds of rakes. The one we 
want has the teeth just slightly bent. If they are bent 
too much the rake is no good for the purpose intended. 
We want to use it in this way. After the bed has been 
plowed or spaded and we are ready to prepare the bed 
for planting, we go over the ground with this rake 
with a chopping motion, going down into the soil about 
six inches, working it up fine and removing every clod, 
piece of sod or other rubbish. This is a most important 
operation and cannot be done too thoroughly. The fu¬ 
ture ease with which the bed will be handled through 
the season, depends on how well this first raking is 

done. 

We go along the path on each side of the bed and 
shovel out the path for a depth of two or three inches, 
putting this dirt into the bed. This will give oppor¬ 
tunity to rake all trash into the path, but all coaise 
trash is removed entirely for we must cultivate the 
path, too. When finished, the path and bed should be 
on the same level, the path a little higher at first for 
it will be packed down with future tramping over it. 
But there will be no tramping over the bed itself. 

Then the bed will be staked for the rows, laying 
them out perfectly straight, and the bed laked again 
till it is perfectly level. The marking stakes may be 
about a foot long and of wood with a smooth surface 
on one side to receive the name of the variety. The 


46 


name may be written with a lead pencil of medium soft¬ 
ness. This is a simple way of marking and will last 
for one season. Painted wooden or metal stakes will 
last longer, and although the first cost is greater, they 
are more satisfactory in the end. 

The bulblets having been previously sprouted, we 
are ready to plant. If some time has elapsed since the 
first preparation of the bed, we will again rake it 
thoroughly to kill all weeds which may have sprouted. 

Next prepare an inch board 10 inches wide and 
about seven feet long. This may be laid across the bed 
between every alternate row and the planting done from 
it. The little rows for the bulblets may be made along¬ 
side it and they should be made perfectly straight. If 
they are made about half an inch deep, with the soil 
firmed over the bulblets when planted, and then about 
half an inch of sand placed over this, we have the bed 
in fine condition. 

The above method will give the bulblets a start 
over the weeds. Now for weeding such a bed, we use a 
little device which we refer to as the wire weeder. This 
is the greatest little tool we have and the most efficient. 
We make it out of a ten-inch rake of the simplest pat¬ 
tern we can find. We take a hack saw and saw off a 
tooth from each side of the rake with the part of the 
frame to which it is attached, thus making the rake a 
little over two inches narrower than it was to begin 
with; or better yet, buy a rake eight inches wide if it 
can be found. Then we saw out the teeth, leaving a 
tooth at each side of the rake. Then a small hole may 
be drilled through near the point of each of these two 
remaining teeth; or if no drill is available we may saw 
a small notch up into the bottom of the teeth, sawing at 


47 


right angles to the handle. Then a small wire may be 
passed through these holes or notches and brought 
tightly together at the top. One may elaborate on this 
by placing a turnbuckle just underneath the back of the 
rake and use it in tightening the wire from time to 
time. This is the greatest weeding device we have ever 
found and we would not think of getting along with¬ 
out it. If the soil has been carefully prepared, this 
weeder can be drawn between the rows with hardly any 
effort and a man can weed 20 beds of the size we have 
just described in from one to two hours and it does a 
good job of cultivating at the same time. The wire 
passes beneath the surface of the soil, possibly half an 
inch deep, takes out every weed, and leaves the soil 
level. 

A little later in the season we use a little rake six 
inches in width, with all the teeth in it. This does a 
fine job of cultivating. A wire may be stretched across 
it through notches sawed in the ends of the teeth, or 
in notches sawed in the back and front alternately of 
every tooth near their points. This makes a combined 
weeder and cultivator. We prefer this narrow rake as 
soon as bulblets are beginning to form for they may 
easily be torn off if cultivation is too close to them. Our 
soil is very fine and easily passes through such a rake. 
If the soil is coarser, some of the teeth would have to 
be removed. If the turnbuckle is left off the rake first 
above described, some of the teeth could be left in it, 
one or two in the middle, and they would hold the wire 
more firmly and aid in the cultivating. 

The best hoe we have found is a little one seven 
inches wide, with a blade about two inches high. Where 
the rows of bulbs are a foot apart, this little hoe may 


48 

be brought between them with a long sweeping motion, 
rather than the short chopping motion so commonly 
used, and then with a backward motion over the sur¬ 
face, the soil will be leveled and any crust broken. 

The paths around these beds should be kept well 
cultivated. The Barker weeder, 10-inch size, is ideal for 
this purpose. This weeder is manufactured by the Bar¬ 
ker Mfg. Co., David City, Nebr. 

For the beds with rows 25 feet long, described under 
Beds, the 10-inch Barker weeder is the most valuable 
hand cultivator we have yet found. It is easy to op¬ 
erate, takes out all the weeds, and leaves a fine, level 
dust mulch. No gardening equipment is complete with¬ 
out it. 

WATER 

If you do not have an irrigation system, get one, and 
get it quick! You can’t get out on a dry knob and com¬ 
pete with the fellow who irrigates. We have seen it 
tried. It can’t be done. We can get several times as 
many bulblets under irrigation as can be gotten with¬ 
out. And then those big first and extra size bulbs we 
get the first season from the bulblets under irrigation! 
Absolutely got to have water and plenty of it. 

There are many methods of irrigating; several are 
excellent and some are not so good. We once tried the 
ditch method. It is much better than none, but we soon 
got tired of plodding about in the mud and the soil was 
hard to work and had a tendency to pack and bake. 

We are now using the Skinner Irrigation System, 
which is an overhead sprinkling system, and can have 
a fine rain storm whenever we want it, with warm 
water pumped into it from a creek. Our beds are cov¬ 
ered with about half an inch of sand which is easily 


49 



This 
day two 
first still 


MR. W. 

Spike had 20 Florets open 
more opened, making 22 
holding. 


H. PHIPPS 

at time of taking the picture. Next 
Florets open at one time, with the 






50 


and quickly worked into a fine mulch and prevents 
evaporation and baking. 

In setting up this system of irrigation, it is less 
expensive to buy the parts, rather than the complete 
system. Pipe can be purchased locally, and by getting 
the nozzles and drilling machine, much of the first cost 
can be saved. It takes only a minute or two to drill 
each hole. The pipe is held firmly clamped in a vise 
and the holes are drilled about three feet apart. They 
are threaded by the machine in the same operation 
and the nozzles can then be screwed in very quickly. 

We find it best to use posts about 8 V*> feet long 
made of %-inch pipe, and set about 12 to 15 feet apart. 
The post is pushed into the ground about two feet. This 
leaves sufficient clearance so that a tall man can walk 
underneath the pipeline without bumping his head. The 
pipeline is not in the way when cultivating or doing 
other work and this is a great item. A hanger is placed 
on top of each post. These are also made by the same 
company (The Skinner Irrigation Co., Troy, Ohio) and 
contain small wheels on which the pipeline turns. We 
like the pipe posts much better than wooden ones, as 
they can be pushed or hammered into the ground with¬ 
out digging post-holes and are easily transferred to an¬ 
other location. 

Each pipeline will water a strip 30 to 50 feet in 
width, depending on the pressure, and up to 300 feet in 
length. The first 100 feet next to the main can be 1 14 - 
inch pipe, the next 100 feet 1 -inch pipe and the last 
100 feet %-inch pipe. Any shortening of the line can 
be made on the large pipe. For mains, 1 14 -inch pipe can 
be used for three or four lines, but for more a larger 
size should be used. The larger the pipe for the mains 


51 


the better, for there is a great deal of lost pressure on 
account of friction in the smaller pipe. The capacity of 
pipes are to each other as the squares of theii diam¬ 
eters; that is, a 2-inch pipe has four times the capac¬ 
ity of a 1-inch pipe, and a 1 Vo-inch pipe is to a 1-inch 
pipe as 9 to 4; and on account of the friction theie is 

in reality even a greater difference. 

The upright from the main may be 1 Vi-inch pipe. 
Then a gate valve so that each line may be turned on 
or off independently of any other. Then a lVq-inch 
turner union and then the pipeline with the nozzles. 
This is a great system and soon will pay for itself many 

times over. 

At some additional cost water motors may be had 
which will keep the sprinkling pipe continually turning 

slowly. 

How often we should irrigate will depend a great 
deal on the weather and the texture of the soil. Some 
soils dry out much more quickly than others and on 
some days the evaporation is much greater than others. 
So no fixed rule can be given as to frequency of irri¬ 
gation and quantity of water. On an average, a good 
heavy soaking once a week will be about right. If on y 
a part of the garden is watered at a time, opportunity 
will be given for the cultivation of the other part and 

in this way the cultivation will not lag. 

With plenty of water, fertilizer and cultivation we 
will certainly make them grow if we have planted early 
and not too deep. 

FERTILIZERS 

The proper handling of fertilizers is a highly im- 
portant part of successful gladiolus growing, but on no 
other point do the “doctors disagree” so greatly. 


52 


Some authorities tell us not to use chemicals lest 
they so weaken the bulb that it may die in storage, but 
one of the most successful growers I know of begins 
very early in the spring to accumulate sack after sack 
of various chemicals and he concocts mixtures which 
would delight the heart of a professor of chemistry. 
The results he obtains are truly wonderful and his bulbs 
and bulblets, instead of being weakened, seem ready 
to make even a stronger growth with each succeeding 
year. Hence it is evident that if properly used the 
chemical fertilizers are excellent. 

Other authorities tell us not to fertilize very heav¬ 
ily, for overfeeding a plant is like overfeeding a man 
and the man isn’t good for much of anything after we 
get him fed up. Also that a plant which is overfed is 
like a man who has imbibed too freely and has gotten 
drunk. 

In this connection I well recall how, when I was a 
boy, my father fenced off what had been an old cow 
corral and told me I could have it for a strawberry 
patch. I planted it and hoed it and in due time had 
the most remarkable strawberry patch of which I have 
ever heard; the leaves reached from one row to the 
other and were high above my knees; but the most 
remarkable thing about the whole patch was that I 
never got even so much as a gallon of strawberries 
from it. Monster leaves and vines but no strawber¬ 
ries. A few years later my father planted a straw¬ 
berry patch on some old pasture land; the soil was not 
very rich and the leaves did not grow large, but the 
berries did, and he had a great many of them. Gladioli 
will use to good advantage much more fertilizer than 
will the strawberries, but the thing should not be over- 


53 

done. However, there is probably not much danger 
that the average grower will give them too much. 

Nitrogen in too large a quantity will cause too much 
leaf growth and an overdose of potash will cause the 
plant to ripen too quickly. If we are to get the most 
and best bulblets we must go pretty strong on potash, 
however. We would rather have a strong, sturdy plant 
than one which makes too much top. 

When it can be procured, the safest fertilizer for 
the average grower consists of well rotted sheep, cow 
or horse manure (best value in the order named) 
spread thickly over the garden in the fall and well 
worked into the soil sometime before the spring plant¬ 
ing is done. This will usually be full of weed seeds but 
most of the young weeds can be killed by working the 
beds over at frequent intervals before the gladioli are 
planted. 

One of the very best natural fertilizers is sheep 
guano which can be gotten from the seed stores in pul¬ 
verized form in sacks of from 50 to 100 pounds. We 
use several tons of this and spread it over the beds at 
frequent intervals through the whole growing season 
and till within about a month before digging. It is 
easily handled, is free from weed seeds, does not pack 
very hard and is an aid rather than a hindrance in 
maintaining a dust mulch. It also shows a highei' 
analysis than most other natural fertilizers. 

Bone meal ranks as an excellent fertilizer but it is 
very slow in acting. On the other hand nitrate of soda 
is quick, too quick, and I doubt if it should be used at 
all, or if used it would be best in small quantity and 
then only in mixtures. 


54 


Many brands of chemical fertilizers are now on the 
market, some are excellent and probably some are quite 
worthless, although they are presumed to be mixed in 
about the right proportion. We are using a consider¬ 
able quantity of a brand called “Gromore”. It comes 
in two grades: No. 1 and No. 2. Grade No. 2 is more 
bulky but the analysis shows more value for the money, 
and as there is not enough bulk to either of them to 
hurt anything, the No. 2 is the better one for the 
gladiolus grower. 

If the natural fertilizers are not easily available, 
then we must rely on the chemicals, for to get the most 
out of our gladioli they must have plenty of fertilizer. 
If we cannot find a brand on the market already mixed, 
which we are reasonably sure is good, then we must 
buy the chemicals and do the mixing. But this is an 
art in itself, and before attempting it the best books 
on the subject should be studied carefully. 

Some authorities claim that if properly balanced, 
that is, each element in exactly the right quantity, that 
it is impossible to overfertilize any plant. That is a 
strong statement and one which would be hard to prove. 
Also entering into the matter is the fact that each soil 
differs from any other in the amount and kind of plant 
food available and the soil would have to be analyzed. 

If the soil is what is known as an acid soil, and this 
may often be determined by noticing whether the sorrel 
plant grows readily on it or not (Sorrel indicates acid' 
ity), or by testing with bitumus paper, then an appli¬ 
cation of slacked lime in powdered form will be useful. 
However, this should not be put on at the same time 
as other fertilizers for it would cause too rapid release 
of ammonia. 


55 


Strong fertilizers should not be put too close to the 
bulbs nor allowed to remain on the leaves. It is a 
good plan to turn on the overhead irrigation system 
soon after spreading any of the strong fertilizers which 
are apt to remain on the leaves so that they may be 
washed off. 

The most valuable part of the fertilizer for imme¬ 
diate use is in the dust. If the fertilizer be mixed with 
damp sand or dirt before spreading, this dust will not 
blow away nor settle on the leaves to burn and injure 
them. We like to put the fertilizer on just before cul¬ 
tivating. It can then immediately be worked into the 
soil with no loss in the air. 

We use an occasional application of liquid fertilizers 
for our best plants, pouring it around but about six 
inches away from the plant. Liquid fertilizers can 
easily be secured by placing any of the fertilizers, like 
sheep guano, in sacks in barrels of water and letting 
them stand a few days. This should be diluted very 
much with water before using. 

The feeding roots of most any plant are several 
inches from the plant itself and the gladiolus is no ex¬ 
ception. Hence not only for the safety of the bulb, but 
also to make the plant food most readily available, the 
fertilizer should be placed several inches from the plant. 

We must also remember that air is one of the best 
fertilizers and that to secure this the soil must be cul¬ 
tivated very often; not deep for the roots would be 
injured, but the surface stirred so that no hard crust 
will form. 

If we figure the cost of properly fertilizing an acre, 
all in one sum, the expense may grieve us; but let us 
look at it this way: Take sheep guano, for instance. 


56 


Costs us here about $25.00 per ton. That makes a 75- 
pound sack cost nearly a dollar. In each application 
we put about half a sack on a bed 7 feet wide by 32 
feet long. That is a cost of about 50c per bed for each 
application, and the bed will produce anywhere from 
several hundred to a few thousand dollars’ worth of 
bulbs and bulblets. So we can well afford to put on a 
good many applications during the summer, and with 
each added shovelful just think: “My, how we are mak¬ 
ing them grow!” Then we will not skimp but will put 
on some more. 

To the more fastidious, the putting on of fertilizer 
may be a disagreeable task. But let us think a bit 
more. From the dank, black muck of the swamp, fer¬ 
tilized through long ages by the hand of Mother Nature, 
comes the sweet fragrance and purity of the water lily. 
And again think! In the barren earth a bulb is planted. 
Up spring swords of green. Fertilizer, though loath¬ 
some, is added. Soon above the sword points appear 
florets clothed in the satiny robes of the woodland 
fairies and sparkling with the diamond’s dust. How did 
these in their splendor and purity spring forth from 
unclean dirt? The only answer is: God another miracle 
hath wrought. And we have been His agents in its 
working! Though our task was one most lowly, and 
our efforts all too feeble, yet He has stretched forth 
His hand over our gardens, and lo, the glories of Eden 
are there. 

SAND 

Sand spread over the beds about half an inch deep, 
as soon as the bulblets are planted, makes one of the 
very finest germinating mediums. It acts as a dust 
mulch and even though it may dry very quickly, yet 


57 

the soil immediately underneath it remains very loose, 
moist and mellow. 

It prevents baking or packing of the soil and as it 
is gradually worked into the surface soil it makes this 
very workable. It is extremely valuable in case of the 
use of an overhead system of irrigation. 

There is one danger point in the use of coarse sand. 
It becomes very hot in hot sunshine and if a very hot 
scorching day should hit us, after several weeks of cool 
rainy weather in the spring, we may expect to find 
some of the bulblet tops burned off. To prevent this, 
some dirt may be mixed with the sand, or if river sand 
be used it will probably have sufficient silt in it. Or 
a coating of sheep guano may be spread thinly over 
the rows soon after planting; a thin coating of this 
will give ample protection and the water soaking 
through from rains or irrigation will fertilize the young 
plants. Even though some of the tops may be burned 
off they will in most instances grow right up again and 
are usually not greatly injured, and by the methods of 
protection just indicated, none will probably be burned. 

Sand is one of the very finest things we have yet 
found for the keeping of the surface of the beds in first- 
class condition and we strongly recommend its use. 
Fine river sand in which there is some silt is probably 
the best. 

Some growers plant entirely in sand, and if the 
beds are located so that sufficient moisture can be re¬ 
tained, this makes one of the most perfect methods of 
growing, because of the ease of weeding, cultivating 
and digging and cleaning the bulbs. 


58 


TOPPING AND STAKING 

Topping’ is the removal of that portion of the spike 
containing the florets, usually done as soon as the first 
floret comes into bloom sufficiently to show that it is 
coming true. 

If we expect to get the largest possible number of 
bulblets, every leaf must be left on the plant. Hence 
with the possible exception of a few of the very tall 
growing varieties, it is impossible to cut the spike suf¬ 
ficiently long for florists’ use and at the same time 
not lose in bulbs and bulblets. 

Letting the spike remain on the plant and bloom 
out even to the tip does not seem to do much, if any, 
injury, if the seed pods are all kept picked off as fast 
as the florets fade. Last season we had a couple of 
large bulbs of Mrs. Leon Douglas which made approx¬ 
imately 100 florets per bulb. When dug, we found that 
these two bulbs together made over 940 bulblets. So 
it would seem that not much injury was done to them 
by letting them bloom. On the other hand we have 
often noticed that where spikes are cut for florists’ use 
the resulting bulbs are apt to be flat and the bulblets 
few in number. Hence we conclude that it is one thing 
to grow for cut flowers and quite another to grow for 
quick propagation. 

Quite a number of our bulblets make spikes con¬ 
taining from 15 to 20 florets the first season and I 
know just how hard it is not to cut these for cut flow¬ 
ers, especially where the variety is a very beautiful one. 
But if it is a high priced variety, we must remember 
that the few cents to be received for the cut flower will 
not in any way offset the dollars to be lost by the de¬ 
crease in number and quality of bulblets. 


59 


In cutting the cheaper varieties for florists’ use, it 
is well to insert the point of a small knife blade into 
the spike, then by bending the spike forward and back¬ 
ward it will break at this point and in most varieties 
can be pulled up and out so that nearly all the leaves 
will be left on the plant, and the resulting bulb will 
have a higher crown and more bulblets than if more of 
the leaves had been sacrificed. 

In the shallow planting, which is the method we 
must use if we desire to get the greatest bulblet in¬ 
crease, we must do the topping early or in the more vig¬ 
orous varieties it will be necessary to stake. By early 
topping we mean cutting off all the top part of the 
spike except the two bottom flower buds, leaving them 
to open later so as to see that the variety is coming true. 
These may then also be cut off and staking will not be 
necessary. 

Our largest bulblets often make spikes from three to 
four feet tall, and such vigorous varieties as Mrs. Leon 
Douglas, Golden Measure, or Rose Ash, will frequently 
o'o six feet or better from a good bulb. Unless early 
topping is done it will be necessary to stake these. For 
a few, green stakes with white tops will look best, but 
for a large number, ordinary lath set about four feet 
apart, connected by one or two strands ot twine run on 
either side of the row, from one to three feet high, will 
suffice. We have frequently placed a lath at each end 
of a seven foot row, with one or two strands of twine on 
each side of the row, and this has proved sufficient. 

When the topping is done after the first floret has 
opened, the tips may be saved and placed in frogs or 
bowls. A bowl of these will make a very fine lily pond 
for table decoration. 


60 


TENT 

In our scheme of things the tent has proved most 
useful and has solved several problems both in planting 
and digging during stormy weather. It is stretched 
over a light portable frame made of 1x4 lumber. It is 
eight feet wide and ten feet long. Each side rests on a 
1x4 which acts as a sled runner. One man can easily 
slide it about. Being eight feet wide the runners just 
fit in the paths on either side of a bed seven feet wide. 
Two persons can easily lift the tent from bed to bed. 

Two or three tents make it possible to protect that 
many beds from the rain in the spring, and we can 
thus plant our sprouted bulblets regardless of the 
weather. Then during the summer the tents are useful 
as places for the storing of fertilizers. 

As we desire to delay digging till just before freez¬ 
ing weather comes in the fall so as to give as many 
bulblets as possible time to grow and ripen, the tents 
will be of great value as protection from the rains and 
cold winds when digging. Placed over a bed a day or 
two in advance the bed will be dry enough to dig re- 
gardess of the fact that we may be having quite'heavy 
rains. And if we are busy at the office or elsewhere 
during the day and desire to do some digging of an 
evening by lantern light they afford protection from 
the cold winds. 

STORAGE 

The bulb house should contain at least two storage 
rooms, one of which can be kept dry for the bulbs, and 
the other, for the bulblets, with more moisture in the 
air. 

Storage in crates will be most convenient if one has 
a considerable quantity of any given variety. A con- 


61 


venient size of crate is 4 inches deep, 18 inches wide and 
24 inches long. These may be made of 1x4 lumber, with 
the bottoms made of 12-mesh galvanized wire screen. 
Such crates will cost about 30 cents each. Simple racks 
can be made so that the crates will slip in like drawers. 
They may be arranged in tiers of any convenient 
height. It will be found that the contents of the top 
crates will dry most rapidly and the bottom ones slow¬ 
est, so it will be a good plan to change them about occa¬ 
sionally. If bulblets are stored in crates it will be best 
not to do any cleaning in the same room for some are 
almost sure to fly about and get into other crates and 
then they will be mixed. We must avoid mixtures, for 
there is no other one thing which will bring ruin to the 
business more quickly. 

In order to prevent mixtures, we like storage in 
sacks better. By working with only one variety at a 
time and by being careful to see that all boxes or other 
receptacles in which they may temporarily be placed 
are absolutely clean, there is much less chance of mix¬ 
ture than if crates are used. Sacks also take up much 
less room if there are a great many varieties but only a 
few of a kind. 

Racks may be made of narrow boards with large 
cracks for air circulation, and the sacks laid on these 
racks, or they may be hung on lines or suspended from 
hooks, but we like racks best. The sacks should not be 
filled more than half full. Unsized flour sacks are best. 
Burlap bags are not so good for they are more apt to 
decay. And even with the best of sacks it is a good 
plan to change the bulblets into new sacks about the 
middle of the winter for the dirt will tend to rot the 
sacks. 


62 


The bulb room should be kept rather dry, with 
plenty of air circulation and ventilation. An electric 
fan may occasionally be used to good advantage. 

The air in the bulblet room should contain more 
moisture. A tub of water may be kept in it and hot 
water poured into it in very dry weather so that the 
air may be filled with the steam, if one lives in a dry 
climate. Here in our Willamette Valley climate there 
is usually sufficient moisture in the air. If the dirt in 
which the bulblets are stored is fine it will contain a 
sufficient percentage of moisture even though it looks 
rather dry. Better be kept this way than too wet. 

Most authorities claim that a temperature of about 
40 degrees Fahr. is best for the storage room. How¬ 
ever, if it is desired that a quick growth be had in the 
spring, it will be found that a temperature of from 60 
to 75 degrees is probably better. Bulblets will stand 
more cold than bulbs. However, neither should be per¬ 
mitted to freeze. The better they are cured the more 
cold they will stand. Most of them will stand a tem¬ 
perature as low as 28 degrees without great inj ury, but 
such a low temperature is not desirable and should be 
avoided. 


DIGGING AND CURING 

In our climate, gladioli may usually be dug any time 
from September till the latter part of November. The 
cheaper varieties are dug first and gotten out of the 
way of the higher priced ones which should be left till 
last in order to mature as many bulblets as possible and 
that the bulbs may reach their highest degree of ma¬ 
turity. 

It is a peculiarity of the gladiolus bulb that it may 


63 


be pulled out of the ground any time in the summer and 
left lying in the hot sunshine and yet the bulb will ripen 
and will grow the next season when planted. It is ob¬ 
vious, however, that if we are to secure the finest bulbs 
and the most bulblets we should give them every oppor¬ 
tunity to mature, and for this reason we do not aim to 
lift the higher priced ones till just before there is dan¬ 
ger of freezing. 

There are several methods of handling the bulbs im¬ 
mediately after digging and we vary these according 
to the ends sought. If the variety is only of medium 
price and it is desired to sell the bulbs, or to use them 
for the growing of cut flowers, it is well when digging 
to place the bulbs in shallow crates or boxes, leaving 
the tops of the plants on for a week or two so that 
the leaves will draw out the surplus moisture. Expose 
them to the sunshine or place them in a drying shed 
where the air will pass through. Within a couple of 
weeks or a month after digging, the roots, bulblets, and 
old shriveled bulb may be removed, the bulbs washed 
and dried thoroughly, and placed not more than four 
inches deep in crates, or in sacks filled only about half 
full so that they may be spread out. In this way, 
bright, salable bulbs will be secured, but if left too long- 
in dirt they will not be so bright and clean looking. 

But when it comes to the higher-priced varieties, the 
bulblets are of much more value than the bulbs and we 
must give the bulblets first consideration. 

In order to give the bulblets every opportunity to 
mature, we take up some dirt with the bulbs when dig¬ 
ging. This dirt will also contain many valuable bulb¬ 
lets, for in most varieties the bulblets do not cling very 
tightly to the bulb and many are broken off and lost 


64 

in the dirt when digging in spite of all the care we 
may use. 

We cure them very slowly, leaving the bulblets at¬ 
tached to the bulb in so far as possible. Many of the 
bulblets will still be quite small and white when dug, 
but if cured slowly in dirt, these will develop into good 
bulblets and will ripen in storage. 

When we have a great many of the newer varieties 
and only a few of a kind, we place each kind in a small 
sack as soon as dug, being careful to label each sack. 
Clean flour sacks are best. The most convenient labels 
we have found are the small wooden labels, with wire 
attached, which nurserymen commonly use as tree 
labels. They are painted on one side and can usually 
be obtained at any seed store at a cost of about $8.00 
per thousand. 

Before sacking, the tops of the plants are cut off, 
cutting close to the bulb. The sacks are placed on racks 
in a drying shed where there is plenty of air and left 
to dry slowly. The bulblets are left attached to the 
bulbs till fully ripened. The bulbs may then be re¬ 
moved and cleaned and dried more thoroughly, and the 
bulblets cleaned and stored in fine dirt which has passed 
through a 12-mesh screen. Fine dirt holds moisture 
better than sand. 

When it is cold and rainy, tents stretched on light 
portable frames, as previously mentioned, are of great 
assistance in digging and have saved many a day for us 
which otherwise would have been lost. They may also 
be lighted and the digging continued at night. 

If the method of shallow planting has been used, it 
will be found that there are not only a great many more 
bulblets, but they are also a great deal easier to dig 


65 

for there is much less dirt to be handled and not so 
many bulblets will be lost in it. 

A small shovel with narrow blade is convenient in 
the digging of bulbs. For bulblets, a hand trowel of 
fair size, with sharpened blade, is useful. 

DISEASES 

Gladioli are very free from disease and if properly 
grown and stored it is unlikely that any trouble will be 
experienced. 

If grown too often on the same soil without rota¬ 
tion of other crops, or if fertilizers too hot are used, or 
if grown on soil not well drained, or if improperly 
stored, a scab may develop. This may soon render the 
bulb worthless. 

If only partially affected with scab, the bulbs may 
be soaked just before planting. For this purpose some 
growers use a solution consisting of a pound of blue- 
stone in 100 pounds of water, soaking the bulbs in this 
for from two to five minutes; others use a half ounce 
of 40 per cent formaldehyde to each two gallons of 
water, soaking the bulbs in this from a quarter of an 
hour to an hour. Best to peel the bulbs before treating. 

The best remedy of all is perfect care. Then they 
will not become diseased. 

MOLES AND OTHER ENEMIES 

A fine, moist, mellow soil is a certain attraction for 
moles, and they are not at all particular as to the way 
they may wander about just beneath the surface. They 
will soon heave up whole rows of bulbs and bulblets. 

Many so-called remedies have been offered from 
time to time and we have tried about all of them. 


66 


Finally in desperation we sunk a two-foot fence of 
wire netting, one inch mesh, around that part of our 
garden containing the best varieties. This appears to 
have kept out all except one or two small moles and for 
these a smaller mesh would be required. 

The best trap we have yet found is the Nash Mole 
Trap. It is sold by Hoods Hardware, Puyallup, Wash., 
for $1.50 each, prepaid. 

Containers made of metal lath are excellent for a 
few of the best bulbs. If brought together at the top, 
no mole can get into them. 

Field mice will sometimes travel through the run¬ 
ways made by the moles and will eat some of the bulbs 
and bulblets. Not a bad plan to drop some poisoned 
wheat into the runways. The mice may enjoy it. 

Cutworms often climb up the spikes at night and 
eat holes in the leaves and florets. They may be picked 
off by lantern light or may usually be found in the day 
time by digging about half an inch deep around the . 
base of the plant. They may also be exterminated by 
scattering a mixture of bran, molasses and strychnine. 
They like this. 

Green aphis sometimes attack the leaves but usually 
do not cause serious damage. A spray may be used, 
the same as for roses, composed of nicotine, whale oil 
soap and water. The aphis may enjoy the bath. 

The gladiolus, however, is very free from all pests 
and but little trouble should be had. 

ADVERTISING 

As the average grower cannot make them grow for 
many years without selling his product, we will add a 
few words concerning this phase of the business. 


67 


The Flower Grower, published by Madison Cooper at 
Calcium, New York, is the one magazine, above all 
others, which the gladiolus grower must have, not only 
for the information contained therein, but especially 
as an advertising medium. Something astounding the 
volume of business a small ad will bring if the prices and 
varieties are right. 

It is probably better that each ad contain prices • 
on one or more specific varieties. Thus it will pay 
its way and bring in business without extra corre¬ 
spondence. Other leading varieties may be mentioned 
and these will bring requests for price lists. It pays to 
advertise and to keep everlastingly at it. 

The grower of cut flower varieties in quantity will 
find of value The American Florist, 4405 Dearborn St., 
Chicago; Florists’ Exchange, 438 West 37th St., New 
York, and The Florists’ Review, Chicago. 

Each grower should be a member of the American 
Gladiolus Society. This Society is doing a great work 
for the gladiolus and it is the patriotic duty of each 
grower to help. Their hand book is also a valuable 
medium of advertising. 

PACKING AND SHIPMENT 

Great care should be used in packing for shipment. 
We have received packages through the mail in frail 
pasteboard boxes which have been partly crushed in 
transit and wrapped in such thin paper that the con¬ 
tents were exposed and could easily have dropped out. 
Sometimes the bulbs or bulblets were in flimsy paper 
sacks which were broken open, letting the contents 
mix. Now such a shipment never pleased us and we 
do not send in a repeat order to a grower so careless. 


68 


Where there is more than one variety in the ship¬ 
ment we like small sacks made of cloth. If one is 
near a sack factory, missprint flour sacks can usually 
be purchased at a low price and these can be made 
into small sacks of several sizes. The wooden nursery 
labels which nurserymen commonly use in labeling 
plants and trees are useful for labels for these sacks. 

We like boxes made of corrugated pasteboard. These 
are stronger than ordinary pasteboard, will not crush 
easily and will give some protection from changing tem¬ 
peratures. If several thicknesses of newspaper are used 
in wrapping both inside and outside the box, the bulbs 
will go through a temperature a little below freezing, 
but I have received so many packages with the contents 
frozen that I do not like winter shipments, especially 
for the high-priced bulbs and bulblets, although the 
bulblets will not freeze quite so quickly as the bulbs. 

A good strong quality of wrapping paper should be 
used and strong string. And the package should be 
wrapped neatly. The purchaser is apt to judge the 
contents by the appearance of the package. And well 
he may, for the use of care here indicates care as one 
of the traits of the grower. 

SEEDS AND CROSSING 

One of the most interesting phases of gladiolus 
growing is the production of new varieties from hand- 
pollenized seeds. Bulblets come true to the mother 
bulb, but seedlings are always different. As a general 
rule the seedlings are inferior to the parents. How¬ 
ever, many will be equally as good as the best named 
varieties. And out of many thousands, one may be 


69 

superior to anything in existence of that particular 
color or type. It is this one that we are seeking. 

With a little practice, hand pollenation is a very 
simple process. The real skill consists in the selection 
of the two varieties to be crossed. It will also take 
some experience to ascertain which are the good seed 
producers. 

Each gladiolus floret has in it three stamens. At 
the summit of each stamen is an anther containing the 
pollen or fertilizing dust. Each floret also contains 
one pistil, divided at its apex into three fuzzy prongs. 
When in proper condition to receive the pollen these 
prongs are sticky. Pollenation consists in the taking 
of the pollen from the anther of one variety and plac¬ 
ing it on the pistil of another variety. This may be 
done with the point of the small blade of a pocket knife, 
or with a small brush, or by taking the anther and 
rubbing it against the pistil. 

In order to be sure to get just the desired cross, and 
that it may not be mixed with anything else, it is well 
to slip paper bags over the spikes just before the 
florets open. As the florets open on the spike selected 
as the seed-bearer, the anthers should be removed be¬ 
fore they liberate any pollen. This will prevent self- 
fertilization. The pollen is the male element. The paper 
bags should be retained on the seed-bearing spike for a 
few days after pollenizing. 

In the selection of varieties for crossing it is well 
to have a definite object in view. For example, let us 
consider Prince of Wales and Richard Diener. Prince 
of Wales is probably the best early salmon pink to date 
but the spikes often kink. Richard Diener is probably 
the finest color scheme in pink yet produced. Its 


70 


spikes do not kink but it is not especially early. Now 
by crossing the two, possibly we can get an early Rich¬ 
ard Diener, or possibly we can get an improved Prince 
of Wales with spikes which do not kink and with some 
of the wonderful coloring of Richard Diener added. 
Prince of Wales is an excellent seed producer and it is 
sufficiently low in price that we are not particular 
about its bulblets, so we use it as the seed-bearer. As 
Richard Diener is still high in price, we will not let it 
produce seed but let all its energy go into the making 
of bulblets, and simply use pollen from it. We have 
several thousand young bulbs as a result of such crosses* 
and another season when they bloom we shall hope 
to find somewhere among them one which fulfills the 
ideal we are seeking. Some of these from a previous 
year’s pollenizing have bloomed and shown wonderful 
coloring. 

Ordinary wooden nursery labels make ideal tags to 
place on the spikes so as to keep a record of the crosses. 
A cross such as the above may be labeled P of 
W x R D 

In storage, seeds should be kept sufficiently dry 
that they will not mold; but they appear to germinate 
much better if not kept too dry. 

We plant them the same as bulblets, in rows a foot 
apart and seven feet long, in little drills just deep 
enough that they can be covered slightly with dirt. 
This should be pressed down and the bed covered with 
about a quarter of an inch of sand and not permitted 
to dry out. 

The new seedling should be tested out thoroughly 
before being named and rushed onto the market. Too 
many new ones of mediocre value have already been 


71 


brought out. Being just as good as another kind is 
not enough. They should be much better than any¬ 
thing of their type, and not till then are they worthy 
of a name. 


VARIETIES 

The many hundreds of varieties now on the market 
are not only confusing to the beginner but are often 
puzzling to the veteran grower. Public fancy takes 
many an unexpected turn and twist and it is often 
difficult to determine far in advance the value of a new 
variety. 

But if we are to make the greatest success in glad¬ 
iolus growing as a business, we must keep in touch 
with the new ones as they are introduced, sort out the 
best and propagate these. We must also go in heavily 
on those of proven merit while they are yet scarce. 

It is apparent that no list of varieties can be of 
permanent value and that it must suffer change with 
each passing year. Hence it is our hope to issue, in 
the future, lists supplemental to the ones herein given. 

In growing bulbs and bulblets for the filling of mail 
orders, we have the world for a market. In growing 
for cut flowers, local conditions govern. 

In our own locality the following appear to be the 
most profitable for cut flowers and in about the order 
named: Prince of Wales, Crimson Glow, Evelyn Kirt- 
land, Halley, Alice Tiplady, Mrs. Frank Pendleton, 
Schwaben, White Giant, Mrs. Dr. Norton, and Flora, 
the two latter having just recently become low enough 
in price to be used for this purpose. 

The medium and higher priced ones are more prof¬ 
itable for the growing of bulbs and bulblets, and for 


72 


this purpose let us consider the following, gleaned from 
hundreds, and arranged not in order of importance but 
alphabetically for ease of reference: 

Alton. A very beautiful flower deserving of more 
attention than it has as yet received. 

Bengal Tiger. Sure to be in demand when better 
known. A moderate investment in this should prove 
profitable. 

Bernard Shaw. Some of its florets are among the 
most perfectly shaped of any we have ever seen. Too 
new yet to judge as to its future. 

Diener’s American Beauty. Here is one which has 
caught the public fancy and is yet scarce, hence a most 
excellent investment. 

Don Juan. A new one of promise. 

Dr. J. H. Neeley. Another new one with a future. 

Dr. Van Fleet. Very early, very tall and of good 
color. Has been well advertised and should be in good 
demand. A safe buy. 

Dr. F. E. Bennett. The most fiery red yet. Tall, 
large and many florets open. Bulblets give practically 
100 per cent germination and many of them make large 
spikes the first season. This should prove one of the 
most profitable investments in gladioli. 

Elf. A commercial white of great promise. 

Fern Kyle. An excellent variety and good germi- 
nator. 

Geraldine Farrar. This variety attracted favorable 
comment in our garden but is too new and high in price 
to judge as yet as to its future. 

Golden Gleam. An excellent Primulinus. 

Giant Myrtle. Has proven very popular with the 
connoisseur. 


73 

Golden Measure. Is still the best yellow. In a few 
years will be used very extensively by the florists when 
the price is a little lower. 

Gold. Good, but lighter in color than Golden 
Measure and not as vigorous in growth. 

Henry Ford. Better color than the famous Anna 
Eberius. Color is even better if the spikes are cut 
when the first floret opens. Would harmonize well with 
licit oriental tapestries. Bulblets 100 per cent germi¬ 
nation. Personally I do not like the placement of the 
florets on the spike. Too new and high in price to 
judge as to its future. Very vigorous grower. 

Jenny Lind. Very dainty and pretty. 

J. A. Carbone. A very fine variety. Should prove 
popular. 

John T. Pirie. One of the best of the new oddities. 

Jewell. Will soon be used extensively by the 
florists. 

Marie Kunderd. Finest, most delicately shaped 
florists' white on the market. Should prove a safe in¬ 
vestment for years yet. 

Marietta. A new variety of good color. 

Mrs. J. K. Armsby. An excellent variety. 

Mrs. Leon Douglas. Tallest in our garden. Some¬ 
times goes over six feet. Slender spike. Large flor¬ 
ets, sometimes over 6 J /2 inches in diameter. Causes 
more “Ohs!" and “Ahs!” than anything else we have. 
Should have a great future when better known. Very 
fine color. 

Mrs. John S. Wood. Quite similar to Mrs. Leon 
Douglas but a little lighter color. 

Ming Toy. A Primulinus with a future. 


74 


Mrs. Richard Lohrman. Much better than Love¬ 
liness. 

Mrs. H. E. Bothin. A very popular variety of fine 
coloring. Will soon be used very extensively by the 
florists. 

Mr. W. H. Phipps. Most magnificent spike we have 
ever seen. We have had 22 florets open at one time on 
a spike. The demand for it exceeds the supply. Should 
be a good price for years. 

Purple Glory. A wonderful flower for those who 
are fond of rich deep shades. No garden is complete 
without it. 

Queen of the Night. Very rich dark color. In de¬ 
mand by the connoisseur and very scarce. 

Red Fire. Very pure bright red. Excellent. 

Richard Diener. The very finest pink. Wonder¬ 
fully soft texture. Sure to be in great demand. 

Ruth Huntington. Some have already picked this 
as a winner. 

Sulphur Frills. Lots of frills. A new one of 
promise. 

Virginia M. Fisher. Florets remind us of Martha 
Washington geraniums. The connoisseur of fine va¬ 
rieties will like this. 

Virginia Hale. Apt to be very popular when better 
known. 

Wm. G. Badger. Tall spike. Excellent pink. This 
will appeal to the florists when more plentiful. 

Wm. Kent. Creamy pink of heavy texture. Rich 
color combination in a vase with Purple Glory. 

Enough space goes to waste each year in the ordi¬ 
nary back yard to grow a thousand dollars’ worth 
of the best of these, with the florists clamoring for the 


75 

best. Something’ wrong with the grower who, with a 
selection of the above, or of other good ones, cannot 
clear at least ten thousand dollars per acre yearly. 

Nothing like gladioli as a side issue. Combine the 
best methods of growing with good judgment in the 
selection of varieties, and that side issue will more than 
double with each passing year, till lo and behold, it 
becomes the main issue,—a real business in which there 
is profit and pleasure but little dreamed of before. 

ROTATION CROPS 

Annual crops are best if not grown in succession on 
the same soil. This is especially true of gladioli. 

In a climate such as ours in the Willamette Valley, 
Oregon, where the soil does not freeze during the 
winter to a sufficient depth to kill the bulblets which 
may remain in the ground after digging, it is quite 
impossible to free the soil of these bulblets and they 
will be there to mix with any future plantings. They 
will form small bulbs even if the tops are cut off and 
some will form bulbs without making any tops at all. 
Some may lie dormant for several years and then 
grow. This makes it impossible to save bulblets again 
on the same soil with any certainty that they are pure. 
We should avoid mixtures as we would avoid the plague. 
Hence we must grow the higher-priced varieties on new 
soil each year. 

Then, too, they are more apt to become diseased if 
grown too often on the same soil and the soil will be¬ 
come depleted of the elements required for the best 
growth. 

So it becomes quite a problem with the gladiolus 
grower as to how he can best use the ground again. 


76 


To this end, and as tending to add greatly both to his 
profit and pleasure, we suggest the growing of peonies, 
tulips, roses, dahlias, irises, delphiniums and pansies. 

Quickly discard the mediocre and retain only the 
best. As many of these bloom when the gladioli are 
not, we shall greatly prolong the season of beautiful 
flowers. 

PEONIES 

The peonies shown in the following cut are from 
one-eye divisions about a year and a half after plant¬ 
ing; that is, we planted them in the fall and this shows 
them in their second blooming season. 

By a one-eye division we mean the smallest division 
that can safely be made. It should have a root at least 
three or four inches long (five or six inches would be 
better), and may have more than one eye. It used 
to be that peony roots were seldom advertised for sale 
in smaller than three to five-eye divisions. However, 
Mr. Lee R. Bonnewitz, while President of the American 
Peony Society, developed a fine stock of the new and 
rare varieties, and in order to popularize the new ones, 
he offered one-eye divisions at a third of the price of 
the regular three-eye divisions. These gave such splen¬ 
did results that the one-eye division has now become 
quite popular and if all the nurserymen will follow the 
example of Mr. Bonnewitz and send out good strong 
roots with at least one extra eye for good measure, this 
size of root will be the one in most demand in the 
future when it comes to the purchase of the new and 
high-priced varieties. 

Some of the older standard varieties remain un¬ 
surpassed and every peony lover should have some of 


77 



M. JULES ELI 

EUGENIE VERDI ER VENUS 

DUCHESS DE NEMOURS REINE HORTENSE 

Peonies from One-Eye Divisions, the Second Season. 

Grown in 

The Merton G. Ellis Test Gardens, Portland, Oregon. 






78 


these. As the price of most of these is now very rea¬ 
sonable, it is best to get them in clumps about two 
years old. Before planting, these can readily be divided 
into quite a number of one-eye divisions and each of 
these small divisions will at the end of three or four 
years have developed into a plant as good or better than 
the one would have been if the clump had been planted 
as one plant. Thus there will be a great gain in the 
number of clumps and each of them will be better for 
there are no old roots in their way in the development 
of a perfect root system. 

Or if the growing of plants is the end in view, in¬ 
stead of the growing of the flowers, at the end of a 
couple of years from planting they may be dug and 
again divided and the divisions sold or planted. For this 
purpose the new and higher-priced varieties should be 
used, for they are in greatest demand and yield the 
most profit. Then, too, there is the added pleasure of 
growing blooded stock. 

These young plants may be grown in rows from 
two to three feet apart, depending on method of culti¬ 
vation used, and from six inches to a foot apart in the 
row. Many of them will want to bloom the first sea¬ 
son, but it is best not to let them do so. They will 
furnish quite a number of fine blooms the second 
season. 

Mr. A. M. Brand of Faribault, Minn., is the origi¬ 
nator of many of the finest new American productions. 
His catalogue contains an excellent description of his 
methods of originating new varieties. 

The Garden Notes issued from time to time by Mr. 
Lee R. Bonnewitz of Van Wert, Ohio, are real classics 
and if they don’t cause you to want to grow peonies, 


79 

then your case is hopeless. He sends them free for 
the asking, and the peony and iris grower, either ama¬ 
teur or professional, will find them decidedly interest¬ 
ing. At our request he has sent us the following article 
which should prove helpful to those thinking of growing 
peonies. 


BEGINNING THE PEONY GARDEN 
By Lee R. Bonnewitz 

The love of peonies and the desire to grow them 
usually takes possession of a person like an inspiration. 
Yesterday we hardly knew what the word “Peony’’ 
meant. Today we see a most wonderful flower which 
has been grown in our own climate, and we become pos¬ 
sessed with a desire to grow it in our own garden. Upon 
investigation we find a multitude of catalogues with 
a wealth of information, most of which, however, is 
written for the benefit of the advanced peony en¬ 
thusiast. This article, however, is written for the sole 
benefit of men and women who have seen magnificent 
peony blooms at the shows, but who have never seen 
the plants growing in a garden. 

Peony gardens are started by purchasing roots 
which continually grow larger from season to season, 
and which may be divided every three or four years, 
and each division thus made, if it possesses even a 
single eye or sprout will in three or four years become 
a full-sized peony plant, capable of producing as good 
blooms as any other plant of the same variety. Plants 
grown from divisions of roots always produce the same 




80 



THERESE 

The Blooms from One Plant the Second Season from a 

One-Eye Division. 

Grown in 

The Merton G. Ellis Test Gardens, Portland, Oregon. 






81 


kind of blooms as the original plant. Seeds, however, 
will produce plants altogether different from the plant 
from which the seeds were obtained, and in ninety- 
nine cases out of a hundred, the blooms on these plants 
will not be as good as on the parent plants. 

The beginner should carefully select his varieties 
and should not let his enthusiasm lead him to buy so 
many that he cannot properly take care of them. Every 
root purchased should be provided with a stake on 
which is permanently inscribed the name of the variety. 
He will want to include in his selection an early, a mid¬ 
season and a late variety of each of the three colors, 
white, pink and red. And I am sure he would enjoy 
having also one of the three yellow varieties now on 
the market, although it will be necessary for him to 
invest more money in the yellow variety than in any 
of the others. He may be interested in knowing that 
there is a $100.00 prize offered for a new yellow peony, 
and as this new peony must be grown from seed, and as 
it is supposed that seed from a yellow variety is more 
likely to produce the color wanted, there is quite a de¬ 
sire among peony owners to possess at least one yellow 
variety as a seed producer. 

If his observation has been thorough he will prob¬ 
ably not want any help in selecting the varieties for 
his first purchase, but judging from the time of bloom¬ 
ing in my own garden, Candidissima, Festiva Maxima 
and Mireille would cover the season in white varieties; 
Umbellata Rosea, Eugenie Verdier and Grandiflora 
(Richardson) in pinks; and Midnight (Brand), Felix 
Crousse and Rubra Superba would do the same in reds. 
If he should desire a yellow variety I suggest a division 
of Primevere. A beginner’s collection should also in- 


82 

elude a root of M. Jules Elie, for if he secures a root of 
good, clean stock it will probably give him a greater 
surprise than any other variety. Unfortunately there 
is a lot of worthless stock of this variety in the country 
so that it would be wise to select this variety from some 
grower’s garden while the plant is in bloom. If a new 
variety should be grown from seed with as much merit 
and individuality as M. Jules Elie, I am sure that 
$1,000.00 would be a very moderate price to pay for it. 

In purchasing these varieties he will find the prices 
so reasonable on all of them except Primevere that he 
can afford to purchase a full-sized one or two-year-old 
root, which should have four or more eyes, but the 
yellow variety will probably be quoted at $5.00 or more 
for a full-sized root. As a beginner he may not care 
to pay so much for one variety, in which case he will 
be perfectly justified in asking the grower to make him 
a price on a division with one or two eyes, which he can 
probably purchase for about a third of the price of the 
whole root. This division, if cut from a strong, healthy 
root, as all divisions should be, will, according to ex¬ 
perience in my garden, be just as large in three or four 
years as any other three or four-year-old plant of the 
same variety, even if the other plant started with six 
or a dozen eyes. 

Two or three years ago the growers were afraid 
to sell divisions but we are all wiser now, for as Mr. 
Farr says, “A strong root with one eye often is in¬ 
finitely better than a weak one with many.” T. C. 
Thurlow’s Sons give their approval to divisions by say¬ 
ing, “Undoubtedly they will eventually bloom as well 
as larger plants, just as a colt will eventually do as 
much work as a fully grown horse, but we must wait 


83 

a few years for it.” It takes a colt three years to de¬ 
velop into a horse, just as it takes a division three years 
to develop into a full-sized peony plant, and as it takes a 
two-year-old peony plant two years to establish itse.f 
in a new location, it seems that the purchasers of divi¬ 
sions lose only one year’s time in the operation. The 
sale of divisions has allowed the peony business to 
make a most wonderful growth during the past three 
years and thousands of Peony enthusiasts own raTe 
varieties who could not possibly have owned them under 
other conditions because there would not have been 
enough roots in the world to supply the present owners. 

Having selected and received his peony roots, the 
next thing is to plant them properly. This can be done 
anytime from the first of September until the ground 
freezes solid, but it is wise to do it early because we 
sometimes fail to get the work completed, which we 
plan to do late in the season. For the peony bed, let 
the beginner select a piece of ground in full sun, with 
soil at least as rich as that in his vegetable garden. 
Spade it at least twelve inches deep (fifteen to eighteen 
inches would, of course, be better, but I have never done 
it.) In case he spades it deeper than twelve inches, it 
would be wise to put some well-rotted manure in the 
lower six inches of the bed where the roots will find it 
in future years, but in this part of Ohio the soil is so 
rich that no fertilizer is needed. However, it is wise to 
use fertilizer in most sections of the United States, but 
care should be taken if manure is used, that it should 
be old and well rotted, and even then it must not come 
in direct contact with the roots. 

I like to ridge up my peony beds so that under no 
circumstances can the water stand around the plants, 


84 


for peonies resent too much moisture. In planting my 
peony roots (which are always strong divisions) I place 
the eyes exactly even with the surface of the bed and 
cover them with two inches of the best soil available. 
The root will settle somewhat, as will also the entire 
bed, but when freezing weather arrives I like to feel 
that the eyes are covered to such a depth (not more 
than two inches deep), that the winds of February 
and March cannot uncover them. The beginner may 
cover his few plants with straw about December 15th, 
after the ground has frozen solid, and this covering will 
keep the bed from thawing out until late in the season. 
In my latitude, this covering should be removed about 
the last week in March. The beginner will, of course, 
understand that these planting directions are given for 
my own latitude and conditions. Should his conditions 
be different, he would be wise to consult an experienced 
peony grower in his own vicinity as to the best method 
of planting. My experience has taught me that the 
method I have outlined is the best for my section of 
Ohio. 

Each plant will thrust its head through the ground 
in early April, and if more than two sprouts should 
appear, the owner of the garden may break off and de¬ 
stroy the excess above that number, which process will 
give increased strength to the two remaining. Within 
two or three weeks he will find a tiny bud on the tip of 
each sprout, and a few days later he will find three to 
five lateral buds lower down on the stem. If he will 
carefully pinch off these lateral or side buds the full 
strength of the plant will go to the main buds and they 
will develop into fair blooms the first year, and he can 
have a faint idea of the kind of flowers he will see on 


85 


his plants two or three years later. If the grower has 
the courage to pinch one of the buds from the two 
main stems, the bud remaining will develop into a finer 
flower than if the young plant was allowed to try to 
bring the two to full development. On young plants 
all blooms should be cut so that the plant does not 
have a chance to grow and ripen seed, for maturing seed 
is said to use strength which should be retained and 
used for root growth. 

Peony plants need comparatively little attention. 
The soil should be loosened around the plants to the 
depth of about an inch soon after the shoots are 
through the ground. Too deep early cultivation may 
injure the roots. Keep the soil free from weeds and 
grass and the plants will ask little else of the gardener. 

The second year the beginner may allow four or 
five stems to carry main blooms, and the third season 
should find him with such a quantity of extremely fine 
flowers that he will be unable to resist the impulse to 
exhibit them at the nearest peony show. 





86 



This is not a scene in Holland. It is a portion of 
the tulip gardens of the Oregon Bulb Company, near 
Salem, Oregon. 

People said it couldn’t be done, but the Oregon Bulb 
Company did it. They now have acres and acres of 
tulips, producing bulbs as fine as ever came from 
Holland. At our request they have written the fol¬ 
lowing article, which should prove an inspiration, not 
only to those thinking of growing tulips, but also to 
any who are considering the growing of other bulbs 
and plants, for the supply of which we have so long 
depended on foreign countries. 





87 


TULIPS 

By 

W. C. Dibble, 

Secretary of the Oregon Bulb Company, 

Salem, Oregon 

When the Austrian Ambassador first looked upon 
tulips, in bloom in a Turkish garden at Constantinople 
in 1550, he was as one watching a “new planet swim 
into his ken.” And when he caused some seed to be sent 
to Vienna, he was a prime mover in an event of great 
economic and aesthetic consequence. But like discov¬ 
erers in all ages he could have seen the moment of his 
discovery only indistinctly. How could he know that 
this flower would engage the attention of Gesner, 
Clusius and other distinguished botanists and herbal¬ 
ists, and that through their combined efforts there 
would issue a flower that would capture the fancy and 
admiration of all Europe, that a literature would arise 
about it second only to the rose, and that finally an 
astute race of business men would give it, a century 
later, a local habitation and historical value. How could 
he know that one bulb would bring in Holland $5,200.00, 
that men would trade in bulbs that had no existence as 
today we deal in fictitious wheat, that men would be 
ruined, go hungry, steal, suicide over this strange 
flower from the East. And that finally it would 
stabilize itself as a business which annually sends 
$3,000,000 of bulbs to the United States alone. 

When one considers the long course that the tulip 
has travelled, the swift and brilliant subjugation of the 
countries where it has been introduced, and the com- 


88 


mercial position it has attained, one is inclined to be 
most humble when he checks up on the modest acreage 
in which he is interested. A historic flower truly with 
way stations: Persia, Constantinople, Vienna, Switzer¬ 
land, France, Holland, and (may we hope it) the North¬ 
west Pacific area. A flower of the world, vigorous, 
adaptable, adventurous,—and yet we are told both con¬ 
fidentially and from the house-tops that a forcing tulip 
cannot be grown in America. But more as to that 
later on. 

What is known as the Oregon Bulb Company, Salem, 
Oregon, started as a private enterprise eight years ago 
with the purchase of $36.00 worth of tulip bulbs by 
Dibble & Franklin, still members of the company. With 
the next purchase $550.00, it was recognized that this 
was an excursion into “No Man’s Land.” The tulip was 
labeled Holland bulb; the few attempts to grow it in 
the United States had been inconclusive. If a business 
was to be built up, first of all as fine a shipper, as 
firm a keeper, as keen a forcer, as staunch a general 
purpose bulb must be grown as the Holland bulb. Noth¬ 
ing less would be fair to the demand, nor in the long 
run satisfy it. Then followed perforce a period of 
yard stick work, years of experimentation and creeping 
progress in which the home-grown bulb was subjected 
to unsparing tests both in the greenhouse and in the 
field, side by side with the imported Holland bulb. 
That the results of these tests have not been to the un¬ 
doing of the American bulb, is indicated by the in¬ 
corporation of the Company in October, 1922, the in¬ 
crease and purchase of stock until the planting is now 
six acres in beds, Holland wise, and definite forward 
plans for the future. 



89 

The compiler of this book, Mr. Merton G. Ellis, has 
been kind enough despite our brief existence to request 
an article upon the methods of tulip culture and propa¬ 
gation. Although our methods are still in the making 
and although we recognize ourselves as less of authori¬ 
ties than we thoug’ht we were five years ago, we have 
pei haps reached a few conclusions, and these with our 
guesses we take real pleasure in passing on. 

I have alluded to the Northwest Pacific section as a 
way station for the tulip bulb. And in that connection 
I would quote a remark once made to the writer by E. J. 
Steele, the veteran and successful pansy grower: “Do 
not undertake the growing of any plant against the 
protest of nature. If you start you will never succeed. 
You have troubles enough with Nature as an assist¬ 
ant. Well, whatever the climatic merits of other parts 
of the United States we feel that Nature is on the side 
of the tulip grower in the Willamette Valley. Weatner 
that other people grumble over we are quite cheerful 
about. The winter skies misty, cloudy or rainy, the 
cool clearing days of April and May, the moderate days 
of June and July which conduce to the firm, shapely 
and dependable bulb—these are our heavy battalions. 
And without these there would be no culture and propa¬ 
gation to recount. 

Some flowers above others, it may be said, repay a 
minimum of care with a maximum of bloom, and the 
tulip is of this class. There is a strong drive in a 
healthy tulip bulb, and it stands rough treatment to the 
point of wonder. But need one expect that even a bulb 
of this vigor can be tossed in the ground, experience 
a period of neglect and then produce a marvel of a 
flower? As a matter of fact it will not do it. 


90 


There are even thing's that the tulip bulb craves, 
such as a friable well-drained soil. In our experience 
the kind of soil, be it ordinary loam, clay loam, red 
shot soil or sand silt, is not so material to the quality of 
the bulb as it is to economical handling. A good bulb 
can be grown in most soils, but in all, the mechanics of 
the soil must be looked into and built up. A heavy 
soil should be lightened with cover crops, but a light 
sandy soil must attain character through the humus 
route. But if one is looking for desirable land on which 
to grow bulbs, soil with a good sand content as a basis 
will save trouble and expense. And there is another 
consideration just at this time, choose land which has 
good drainage. If there is one thing that the tulip 
bulb insists upon, it is that its feet shall not stand in 
water. Hence we would sacrifice points in the content 
of the land that there should be unquestioned natural 
drainage. 

Tillage for tulips should be thorough, it should also 
be deep. Ten inches of preparation is not at all too 
deep. Then the soil should be put in the best possible 
state of fineness and compactness, using harrow disk 
and some kind of packer. We have grown our bulbs 
for the past three years upon a Willamette Valley red 
shot hillside soil. This is a porous but not a light soil, 
and we speak with some severity when we advise thor¬ 
ough tillage. A square rod of honest tilth in time— 
saves the crop and the reputation of the grower. 

Shall we fertilize? That question may always be 
answered in the affirmative, and it is still an individual 
one. There is no doubt that we in America have failed 
to appreciate fully the requirements of these bulbs in 
maintaining size and vigor. A postulate of the Bureau 


91 

of Plant Industry is: “Do not plant on the same ground 
oftener than once in two and preferably once in three 
years/’ and our experience concurs. Not only will the 
ground become foul with tulips, which try as one may 
cannot be wholly eradicated, but the soil becomes fa¬ 
tigued with continuous planting, and the bulb suffers. 
One may increase the friability and enrich the character 
of the soil by a cover crop one year of vetch and rye, 
putting it the next year into some crop of commercial 
value with the fertilizer requirements incident to that 
crop, that will not draw from the soil the same con¬ 
stituents as the tulip—and it should again be good tulip 
land. But each grower will have his own rotation, 
and his particular formula as to the application of 
fertilizer. The best fertilizer is the best available. And 
that is as it should be with this caution: A tulip bulb 
of size and substance cannot be grown on lean land. 

The tulip bulb attends closely to its business of re¬ 
plenishing the earth with tulip bulbs. The seed we 
are not yet concerned with in a commercial way, but 
the grower is joyful over the number and size of the 
bulblets that adhere to the mother bulb. To be a good 
reproducer and at the same time bear an admired flower 
—there is a variety to which to cling. We have found 
it advantageous so far to plant all the bulblets, although 
there arises a question when stocks have been worked 
up to the desired amount whether bulblets below 3 or 4 
centimeters should be saved. Bulbs of 5 to 7 centi¬ 
meters reach merchantable size in two years while those 
of 8 centimeters attain a mature size in one year. 

Thus far we have planted our bulbs in rectangular 
beds four feet wide with the length that of the plat 40 
feet. We make concave paths between the plats some 




92 


six feet wide, both for convenience and drainage. Where 
we think further drainage is needed we run cross or 
latitudinal paths. And in the preparation of the beds 
where there may be a dip or slight depression we elimi¬ 
nate it—aiming ever to keep a watchful eye upon the 
matter of standing water. The base of the bulbs is 
placed 4 inches below the surface and the rows 6 inches 
apart. The bulbs are placed in the 4-foot rows as fol¬ 
lows : All bulbs larger than 10 centimeters 14 bulbs to 
the row and planted upright. Those below 5 centi¬ 
meters are strewn along about 50 to the row, while 
those of less size are planted in clusters. 

The bed system which has been the accepted mode 
of planting, and which has the manifest advantages of 
uniformity and definiteness is, of course, not to be dis¬ 
carded lightly. It is too an open question whether as 
compared with the row system any economy can be 
gained in cultivation. But where land is cheap, given 
the American way of looking at things, there is a strong 
appeal to the imagination in the row system. Here if 
any, is the place to cut expenses radically in growing. 
And why should there be finality when there is a de¬ 
sired and reasonable objective? At any rate fancy 
lingers over a quicker way of planting, less hand work 
in cultivation and a machine yet in the brain cells for 
digging. As for ourselves who are growing for the 
bulb, we have not accepted finality in the matter of 
planting, and purpose experimentation. Whereas if we 
were growing tulips for the bloom only, we should 
scarcely consider it an experiment; we should not hesi¬ 
tate to plant in rows. 

In theory tulip bulbs should be planted in Septem¬ 
ber ; they are really planted when separated and cleaned. 


93 

The objects of digging secured, which are, as Dr. David 
Griffiths says, “To renew the fertility of the soil, to 
separate the merchantable bulbs from the others, and 
to distribute the remaining ones, the bulbs are better 
off in the ground.” In our own practice, we are plant¬ 
ing earlier each year and if a good bulb and legitimate 
increase is desired, all bulbs should be in the ground 
by the end of September. The actual time of digging 
is regulated by the coats of the bulbs, and when they 
approach the decided brown of commerce they are ready 
to dig. This is a good deal reflected by the tops, but 
not strictly, since in some varieties it is not necessary 
to wait until the tops are entirely dead, while in others 
it is. If the bulbs are left in the ground after they 
are ripe the coats crack and otherwise deteriorate. 

But what matters that we dig at the right time, 
that we work out a system of rotation, that we study 
economical growing; of what avail are experiments and 
the expense of them if a forcing bulb cannot be grown 
in the United States? The answer to that is, that the 
Government Experiment Station at Bellingham, Wash¬ 
ington, and the Oregon Bulb Company are both growing 
a forcing bulb. We are not guessing as to that. Our 
experiments and the results of our greenhouse sales 
declare plainly there is no magic in the Holland bulb 
whereby it will force and the American bulb will not. 
It will. Let us make no mistake as to this. It will. 

Each year at blooming time which runs from April 
1 to May 20, we keep open house. And each day brings 
its hundreds of visitors, and fete days thousands. Last 
season 50,000 visited the Tulip farm, as it is called. 
This is a tribute to the massed color and the varied 
and individual excellencies of the varieties. Interest- 


94 


ing indeed are the reactions of people as they look 
upon masses of color. Some are gay and talkative, 
others are quiet; nearly all show genuine emotion. As 
a rule people are freer, more unconscious, glad in fact 
to let you see more of themselves. Their deep delights, 
their hidden aspirations seem for the moment real. 

As is natural those seeing the blooms desire them, 
and we sell some. This is aside from plats which we 
rope off and from which we do not sell. In general it 
may be said that flower production and growing for 
bulbs are two separate businesses, and should not 
greatly over-lap. In consequence with those that we do 
cut we are careful to include as little leafage as possible 
so as not to impair the feeding surface of the plant. 

The tulip ships well and properly iced may oe ex¬ 
pressed one and two thousand miles. But its value as a 
cut flower depends upon the season, the local demand 
and the chance of meeting Mothers’ day with a maxi¬ 
mum of bloom. 

There has been a decided increase of interest in the 
tulip during the last ten years. All engaged in its dis¬ 
semination have recognized it, some Holland dealers re¬ 
porting a fourfold increase since 1914. Importations 
while not confirming this ratio attest an increase. But 
why is this so? What about this flower, its swift rise 
in favor? The tulip is beautiful but so indeed are other 
flowers. This is something to be curious about, around 
which the fancy delights to play. What is the tulip’s 
charm—the very essence of it; is it that it comes so 
early, enriching the spring with a varied warmth of 
color ? 


95 


Is it because it looks up, unafraid, as it has since 
Omar Khayyam sang its praises, and many years be¬ 
fore ? 

Is it that they are so statuesque, so still, as if some 
unseen sculptor had chiselled them over night, and left 
them there? 

Or is it that we cannot plumb their depths, that, 
look as we may, we cannot fathom the design of them, 
the open wonder of the cup. 

Or, to quote a little: 

“Oh, why I love thee, Dr. Fell, 

That is what I cannot tell.” 










96 



A Fine Rose from the Gardens of 
J. B. Pilkington, Nurseryman, 
Second Street at Salmon, Portland, Oregon. 










97 


ROSES 

Rose bushes are produced in either of two ways: by 
budding onto young wild rose bushes which have been 
grown from seed, or by cuttings. 

Much controversy has long existed as to which of 
these is the better method. For all practical purposes 
the question may be disposed of by saying that the 
weak growing varieties and those which do not root 
readily from cuttings should be propagated by budding, 
for good strong plants will be produced much more 
readily in this way. But those varieties which are 
especially strong and which root readily from cuttings 
had just as well be produced by cuttings. 

The latter method will probably appeal more strongly 
to those gladiolus growers who may desire to use roses 
as one of the rotation crops. 

Cuttings root most readily in the fall. In our cli¬ 
mate here October and November are the best months 
for this. Hence the beds from which bulbs have been 
dug early may immediately be used for rose cuttings. 

A convenient size of bed is the same as heretofore 
described for gladioli as being 7 feet wide and 30 or 40 
feet long, with the rows running crosswise, that is 7 
feet long, and the rows a foot apart, with the cuttings 
planted two to four inches apart in the row. 

One of the great secrets of making the rose cuttings 
root is the pressing of the soil very firmly about them 
when planting. An effective way of doing this is to 
walk along each row, with one foot on either side of 
the row and against the cuttings, and taking very short 
steps so that all the soil touching the cuttings is made 


98 


solid. This may then be covered with a quarter to half 
an inch of sand to prevent baking and to hold the 
moisture for the cuttings must not dry out. They 
should not be lifted from this bed before the next fall. 

The cuttings should be six to eight inches long and 
are made from the new growth. They will root most 
readily if a heel of the older wood is retained. 

Those interested in roses should obtain from the 
Portland Rose Society, of Portland, Oregon, the booklet 
entitled “Portland Roses.” 

The finest roses in the world are displayed at Port¬ 
land’s Annual Rose Festival, and Portland is now known 
as “The Rose City.” 

It is here in our wonderful Oregon climate that the 
rose is seen in all its perfection, and the atheist who can 
stand before the queenly beauty of a Duchess of Well¬ 
ington, Sunburst, or Lady Hillingdon, and say that this 
all came by mere chance, has a small mind indeed and 
one from which reason has all but fled. 




99 



The Author of the Article on Pansies and Her 

Young Son. 

After seeing what she is doing to me in her pansy 
article, 1 extracted her picture from the Baby Book, 
without her knowledge or consent, and placed it here. 
Her article appears on the last pages of this book. 

By the way, to the fellow yet unmarried, who is 
growing flowers or thinking of doing so, my advice is 




100 

this: Take unto yourself a wife who loves babies and 
flowers and your success is assured. 

The author of the article on pansies is the originator 
of “The Oregon Giants,” the strain of pansies which is 
capturing blue ribbons all over the country. 

DAHLIAS 

An interesting and profitable rotation crop for the 
gladiolus grower is the dahlia. This beautiful flower 
is very popular in landscape gardening because of its 
vigorous growth and luxuriant foliage, and as the ama¬ 
teur often meets with disaster in the storage of the 
tubers there is a constant demand for a new supply. 

The most rapid method of propagation is by cut¬ 
tings early in the spring. Large growers usually con¬ 
struct greenhouses especialy for this purpose. By 
sprouting the tubers early, many cuttings may be had 
and many more plants obtained than by the usual 
method of planting later in the open. 

Tubers and cuttings come true, but seedlings are al¬ 
ways different. New varieties are produced from seed. 
Seedlings will bloom the same year but a little later 
than tubers. 

If plants are to be grown from seed, great care 
should be used to get the very best. Dahlias grown 
from cheap seed are worthless, but when the very best 
seed is used, flowers of great beauty are often obtained. 

The tubers grow in a cluster, all attached to the cen¬ 
tral stem. It is often quite an art to divide these prop¬ 
erly. The novice will break the tubers off with great 
ease, leaving all the eyes on the old stalk, and then 
wonder why his tubers do not grow. In some varieties 


101 


the eyes will come with the tubers when they are broken 
off, but in most varieties a portion of the old stalk 
must be carved out with a sharp knife in order to have 
an eye for the tuber. This process is very similar to 
the division of a peony root. 

Dahlias may be planted about two feet apart in the 
row, the rows being three or four feet apart. They are 
gross .feeders, requiring a great deal of fertilizer and 
plenty of water. Each plant should be staked. Only 
the best should be grown, but these well repay one for 
any extra care given. 


IRISES 

When irises are spoken of, the bearded irises are 
usually the ones referred to unless otherwise designated. 

The gladiolus grower who does not include some of 
the best of these in his scheme for rotation crops has 
missed a great pleasure and at least some profit. 

While they do not multiply nearly so rapidly as glad¬ 
ioli, yet the grower should be able to multiply his stock 
by four each year and there is a constant demand for 
the best varieties. The originator of Anna Farr, for 
example, has a standing offer of a dollar a plant for 
all of this variety that the growers will supply him with. 

Irises are very hardy, have but few diseases, and 
will stand much neglect. However, to get best results, 
a few points should be kept in mind. 

While they may be transplanted any time in the 
year, best results will be had if this is done in July, for 
at this season they have finished blooming and are just 
ready to send out new roots and the new plants are just 
ready to form. 


102 


In planting’, the rhizome should be placed on top 
of the ground and should not be covered with dirt. In 
fact it had better be placed on a little knoll rather than 
in a depression for no water must stand around it. 

They should be planted on dry, well-drained soil. 
Too much moisture will cause root rot. They should 
not be irrigated. Good cultivation will provide suffi¬ 
cient moisture. 

The bearded irises should have an occasional appli¬ 
cation of slacked lime. However, this should not be 
given the non-bearded ones. 

To get new plants, the clumps may be divided into 
single rhizomes. These may be planted six inches to 
a foot apart in rows two to three feet apart and will 
make good salable plants in one season. If left undis¬ 
turbed they will produce their best blooms the second 
season. 

For shipment, the rhizomes should be packed dry. 

The iris must be direct from the hand of God. No 
painter can depict its wonderful blending of colors nor 
its delicate and fragile beauty. 



103 


DELPHINIUMS 


These beautiful flowers are coming rapidly to the 
front and we predict a great future for them. The soil 
which has been well fertilized and brought into a high 
state of cultivation for gladioli is just in prime condition 
for delphiniums the next year. 

Hence the gladiolus grower will read with interest, 
the following article, written especially for this book, 
by that expert hybridist, Chas. F. Barber, grower of 



delphiniums for over twenty years and originator of 
the strain “Hoodacres Delphiniums,” one of the most 
famous strains ever produced. 

Mr. Barber resides at Larkspur Lodge, 1552 Union 
Ave., Portland, Oregon, and most of his delphiniums are 
grown at his farm, “Hoodacres,” only a few miles 

distant. New plants are 
produced either from cut¬ 
tings or seeds. Cuttings 
come true. Seedlings are 
always different. It is a 
waste of time to use poor 
seeds. Only the very best 
should be planted. 

As with the tulip, it 
was long thought that we 
should send to Europe for 
the best. But now it is 
found that whereas del¬ 
phinium seeds from Eu¬ 
rope give a possible 3 
per cent of exceptional 
plants, the Hoodacres go 


A two-year-old plant of Beatrice. 
Color light Mauve, backed trans¬ 
parent blue. 


about 20 per cent, the result of Mr. Barber’s genius, 
coupled with our beautiful Oregon climate. 








104 



SPIKES OF HOODACRES HYBRIDS 










105 


BRINGING UP THE DELPHINIUMS 
By Charles F. Barber, 

Originator of “Hoodacres Delphiniums” 

When the young lady said, “I know what I like,” 
the wise man present remarked, “Madam, that is not 
correct; you like what you know.” That true phil¬ 
osophy can be applied to the hybrid Delphinium. Al¬ 
though a quickening interest in this magnificent flower 
is now evident, the great public is as yet quite unaware 
of its grandeur and charms, not having really made its 
acquaintance. Only the keen floricultural observer 
both “knows” and enthusiastically “likes.” Within a 
very few years we are due to witness a decided furore 
over these enchanting beauties in blue. 

Europe led the way in unlocking the Delphinium 
treasures but it is for us of the New World to “carry 
on.” For more than twenty years the writer has been 
working with these wonderful flowers. This has in¬ 
cluded regular importation of the best the old country 
produced, both plants and seeds. At first the enjoy¬ 
ment of what they had evolved was satisfaction enough, 
but much improvement seemed possible not only in fea¬ 
tures of form and color but particularly in a greater 
carrying power of the seeds from choice types. The 
finest varieties of Europe would give mostly forests of 
common-place seedlings; rarely anything exceptional. 
Now, out of these years of observation and experiment 
is evolved a strain that produces a large percentage 
of high type plants from seeds, and frequently speci¬ 
mens superior to the parent stock. 

Named varieties represent the frame-work of the 
Delphinium structure. They are kinds which have been 


106 


tried out as distinct types and are reproduced true only 
by propagation from cuttings. As the number of pos¬ 
sible propagations from a new variety is extremely lim¬ 
ited, it may remain rare for several years, only in the 
meantime furnishing material for still more improve¬ 
ment by the hybridization route. 

In the culture of Delphiniums there is no occult 
secret to be communicated. The skilled gardener will 
succeed with it as he does all his other plantings. Where 
the soil is already in good physical condition and con¬ 
tains a fair amount of the nutritive elements, no spe¬ 
cial preparation is necessary. But the Delphinium 
thrives not in poor, worn out, soil. Mere existence will 
do for it just what it does for the three-hundred-egg 
hen—you won’t get the eggs. And once planting in 
the right soil will not suffice for all time; annual re¬ 
plenishment will be rewarded. 

Springtime when growth starts is decidedly the time 
when cuttings are easiest to take and get to grow. 
When the young stalks are three to five inches long 
they can be cut off close to the crown of the plant 
and inserted in sand in a hot-bed or in the benches 
of a greenhouse. Some prefer the hot-bed as affording 
more natural moisture. If everything goes well the 
new plants will have sufficient roots to be set out in 
nursery rows in just a month from the time cuttings 
are made. Summer cuttings are more difficult. Some 
success is had in putting them in the ground under a 
bell glass in September and leaving them covered until 
spring. 

Divisions are made when the plants arrive at a stage 
where they need rejuvenating. They should be lifted 
and thoroughly washed free of soil; then cut into seg- 


107 

ments the outer circle of the clump. Shorten the roots 
cind lemove entirely any that are very old, to encourage 
new growths, and reset into permanent places. 

Growing hybrid Delphiniums from seeds has been 
in the past largely a matter of amusement. But the 
day is here when we should be able to get adequate re¬ 
turns for our effort. The sun is big enough to rise 
upon the evil and the good and the rain comes down 
upon all alike, but our gardens are not usually large 
enough, and our time is all too short, to waste on rows 
of disappointments. After securing good seeds, early 
spring seems the most normal time for bringing infant 
Delphiniums into the world, as they go right along’ from 
one stage to another without any stop-over. It is true 
that a little higher percentage of germination will occur 
in autumn, soon after the seeds are harvested, but there 
will usually be enough fatalities to make up. Fall-sown 
seeds will bloom about one month ahead of those put 
in in early spring. A safe plan is to sow in flats of 
good mellow garden soil with enough sand to insure 
perfect drainage. Level the soil and press down, then 
water thoroughly. After this sow the seeds, preferably 
in rows, and cover not more than one-eighth inch. A 
flat 12x20 will receive one thousand seeds nicely. Cover 
with thin paper or glass, keep shaded and always moist, 
until plants begin to appear, then bring to the light. 
When the third and fourth leaves come will be the sig¬ 
nal to transplant into other boxes containing a richer 
soil (bone meal a good thing) and set about an inch 
apart. When these flats are getting filled with leafage 
the plants can go into permanent quarters. Fall seed¬ 
lings can be transferred directly into the cold-frame 
where they are to winter. Don’t keep this frame close 
but allow plentj^ of air at all times. 


108 



Hoodacres seedling No. 320, gave its first charac¬ 
teristic spike of bloom in 1923—three feet of beautiful 
“Petunia violet” flowers, semi-double; entire stalk five 
feet tall. From mixed seeds saved in 1921. 


HOODACRES SEEDLING No. 320 





109 

Supply Delphiniums with strong rations very cau¬ 
tiously. Fresh manures are dangerous. Well decom¬ 
posed animal manures are often a great help and in 
some soils almost a necessity, only see to it that the 
roots must reach out for it. For gentle and safe stimu¬ 
lation during blooming time bone meal is probably the 
best thing. Apply it very early in spring and late sum¬ 
mer, working in around the plants. Large plants will 
stand a trowel-full each. Delphiniums give two pro¬ 
nounced blooming periods in the season and a third may 
be had if managed. Keep plants from seeding and after 
the time of blooming cut the old wood to near the 
ground. 

Delphiniums have few enemies. The blight is not 
prevalent to any great extent. Should it appear as a 
blackening fungus remove the plant and burn it at 
once. Where slugs trouble they usually attack the 
young growths in early spring. Rough coal ashes or 
very coarse sand laid over the plants in winter is the 
protection against them, 

Mildew is an indication that somewhere in the plant’s 
ancestry was a subject susceptible to it. Where it ap¬ 
pears on a weak-constitutional plant the destruction o'f 
that plant is called for. Some plants, otherwise sturdy, 
will show a little certain seasons, but in such cases it 
seems to be no more harmful than dandruff on the 
human scalp. It probably can be entirely eliminated if 
breeders will resist the temptation to use plants that 
harbor it. 

The illustration of florets only, shows some of the 
recent advances in size and form. The center one is 
typical of a number of the older named varieties. Upper 
left is the variety “The Alake,” upper right a new single 


110 



just named “Justine Gilbert.” Its attractiveness cannot 
be depicted by the camera for some petals are light 
Venetian blue and others are delicate lilac, while the 
black center furnishes a striking contrast. Lower left 
represents one of the rosette forms, while the lower 
right is my new variety “Purple Mask” with florets 
nearly three inches across. These things give us vis¬ 
ions of what mother nature holds in store for the Del¬ 
phinium worker. 



Ill 


PANSIES 
“Blood Will Tell” 

By Mrs. Merton G. Ellis 



THE OREGON GIANTS 

“Why, that’s just a big cabbage!” 

Thus spoke my husband regarding a pansy seedling 
in my trial plot several years ago. In fact it was the 
only seedling that I considered at all noteworthy of all 
the different packets I had obtained from many growers 
throughout the country. I had paid fifty cents for 
twelve seeds of one supposedly fine variety but the re¬ 
sults were quite a joke. As I displayed my “cabbage,” 
however, I felt that I had actually obtained something 
worth while. 

I was disappointed that my “find” did not meet with 
greater praise. Nevertheless, I would not discard it. A 
very large, heavily ruffled pansy it was, with splendid 
texture, and best of all with a long strong stem. It was 




112 


the color my husband objected to; but I rather liked 
that combination of blue, white and black. I put it in 
my mixed bed, but kept the seeds from it separate from 
the rest. 

The following season was quite a surprise, for the 
seedlings from my “Cabbage Blue” were of nearly every 
color combination, and were almost without exception, 
large, of splendid texture, heavily ruffled, and standing 
so erect on long, strong stems. Their foliage was mam¬ 
moth, and these pansies exceeded my fondest hopes in 
every way. 

“Put a ‘cabbage’ in every bed,” was then the advice 
of the lord of the plantation. “You can work up a won¬ 
derful giant strain of ruffled pansies of that same tex¬ 
ture on those same long, strong stems in all the dif¬ 
ferent colors.” 

Thus were born “The Oregon Giants.” By the most 
careful selection of every seed-plant, the general qual¬ 
ity becomes better and better in every way, year by 
year, never fear. (With apologies to Coue.) 

For instance—several years ago our Rose Purple 
Pansies were very large, often BV 2 inches across in early 
spring; but the texture was thin and they were rather 
floppy. Since mingling the blood of the “Cabbage 
Blues,” we allow no foppy blooming plant in the Rose 
Purple seed-bed. We have plenty of them with heavy 
texture that stand erect on splendid stems. Of course 
not all of their seed will produce such fine blooms; but 
the general tendency is that way, and some will be su¬ 
perior to the parent plants. These alone are allowed to 
remain in the seed-bed. Every seed-plant must pass a 
strict examination before the “Board of Censors.” 



113 

This year our pansies are so much better than ever 
before that I said to my husband, “Do you suppose 
there will be any limit to what can be produced in 
pansies by this constant selection year after year?” 

“No,” he replied, “I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few 
years you have pansies six inches across.” 

If I grew a vast acreage of pansies, I couldn’t give 
such careful attention to every seed-plant; but I never 
want to grow pansies on such a large scale that the 
quality suffers. Pansies are my hobby. They require 
more time and space in proportion 
to the income derived therefrom 
than the higher-priced gladioli. 

Therefore I have my own plot of 
gladioli and so have each of the chil¬ 
dren. Even Baby Merton is not to 
be behind his sisters in the “glad 
game.” He loves to have Papa Mer¬ 
ton carry him out to supervise the 
care of his bed of “Diener’s Ameri¬ 
can Beauty.” “Gkdioli For Profit” 
is my slogan and 1 dearly love them, 
too, but pansies are my special 
pride. Gladioli and pansies work to¬ 
gether very nicely. The ground that 
gladioli have been grown on previous years may be used 
for pansies and they yield a nice little income, too, just 
at the time when one is paying out much for hired help, 
etc., in connection with the gladiolus work. 

Pansies can be made profitable in a number of w r ays. 
For instance, many thousands of small plants with from 
four to six leaves each can be sold early in the spring, 
at either wholesale or retail. Those who buy these 





114 


plants, which are just the right size for transplanting, 
should have far better success than those who buy the 
blooming plants. 

Every flower lover has a warm spot in his heart for 
pansies. If people would just get in the spirit of it in 
late summer or early fall and plant seed of a giant 
strain, they would not need to buy the attractive pansy 
baskets in the spring. They would have better pansies 
in their own gardens without having to give them a set¬ 
back by transplanting them when they are full grown. 
It is hard for people to get the planting fever in the fall, 
however, so it is these irresistible blooming plants for 
which there is the greatest demand. If one raises a fine 
quality of pansies, there is almost no limit to the quan¬ 
tity that can be disposed of at good prices from early 
spring till Decoration day is passed. As our saleslady 
said a few days ago, “Why, I could almost sell weeds at 
ten cents apiece before Decoration day, but now people 
think five cents a plant is too much.” Some years the 
sales keep up till the Fourth of July, though. 

Easter, Mothers’ day and Memorial day are the sea¬ 
sons of largest pansy sales. At these times, aside 
from the plants we put on the market, I pick blooms 
from my seed-plants and make quantities of bouquets. 
I put six paper drinking cups in a pansy basket and a 
bouquet in each cup. They keep nicely that way, and 
look very attractive. On ordinary days people buy one 
or two bouquets; but just before Decoration day they 
will take the basket, cups and all, for 90 cents. 

Except at these special times I don’t usually make 
bouquets, for they almost spoil the sale of the plants. 
People say to our saleslady, “I want you to order for 
me three plants like this red one in this bouquet, four 


115 


like this yellow one, etc., and I will pay ten cents apiece 
for them.” The fact is, I wouldn’t sell plants like those 
for fifty cents apiece, for I want them for seed. Of 
course I must keep all my best plants and sell only those 
that don’t quite come up to my standard for seed-plants. 
Even these, however, attract much attention. 

“Hey, you Pansy King,” is the salutation given the 
man who takes my pansies to market for me. 

“Oh these are just Mrs. Ellis’ culls,” he replies. 

Some days I fix up a box of plants that are so 
nearly good enough for seed-plants that we put a price 
of fifteen cents apiece on them. At first the saleslady 
was dubious about asking that price for them. 

“People wont pay that much for pansy plants,” she 
said. The fact was, though, that that day all the fif- 
teen-cent plants were sold before any of the others. 
People are willing to pay for the best. 

If I were selecting pansy plants, I would gladly pay 
any reasonable or unreasonable price for what I wanted. 
When working up my strain some years ago, after fail¬ 
ing to secure what I hoped from my many trial packets 
of seed, my husband made it a point to go around to 
the different florists’ shops during the noon hour; and 
when he found a pansy plant that he considered quite 
superior, he would buy the whole basket, if necessary, 
in order to get that one plant. 

For a long time I had been on the lookout for what 
I considered a real good red pansy, but was not satisfied 
until I was shown around a Japanese grower’s gardens. 
There I spotted just the one I wanted and almost held 
my breath as I asked for it, fearing he would want to 
save it for a seed-plant. I would have given fifty cents 


116 

or more for it if necessary, but he immediately dug it 
up and sold it to me for eight cents. 

Someone said to me recently, “I suppose the reason 
I don’t have blooms like yours is because I don’t know 
how to care for them correctly.” Of course, pansies will 
do a great deal better with proper care, but in order to 
obtain giant blooms, the seed must come from a giant 
strain. Several times I have found stray pansies on 
our place where they were nearly choked with grass and 
weeds, and yet the blooms were so good that I have 
transplanted them into one of my seed-beds. That 
proved to me that “blood will tell” even among pansies 
growing under the most unfavorable conditions. 

There is no pleasure nor profit working with scrub 
stock of any kind and in working up a strain of pansies 
it pays to spend time and effort to secure the very best. 

Then, having secured the best seed, the grower will 
be wonderfully rewarded if he gives his pansies intelli¬ 
gent care. One of the most important things in order 
to secure best results is to plant the seed in late summer 
or early fall. They may be planted as late as October 
and it is far better to do so than to wait till spring but 
I prefer planting early enough so the seedlings may be 
transplanted and become well established before the 
cold weather sets in. If the seed is planted as late as 
October it is safer to wait till spring to transplant them. 
The little plants will not seem to grow much all winter 
but they are making splendid root systems. Pansies do 
best if their early growth is slow and if they are allowed 
to become sturdy, stalky plants by wintering it through 
in the open. 

Pansy plants should not be dug for market as soon 
as their first blooms are fully open. A bloom increases 


117 

in size for a week or more after it is open, so by waiting 

a few days a plant may bring ten cents or more instead 
of five. 

It the grower plans to sell seed, he cannot be too 
careful in the selection and care of the seed plants. No 
small or mediocre pansy plant should be allowed on the 
place after the seed begins to form for pansies are such 
mixers and the pollen will be carried from them to the 
seed-plants. 



LITTLE ELEANOR AND THE OREGON GIANTS 

It is a good plan to pick the blooms from the seed- 
plants early in the season even if one does not care to 
sell the cut flowers. Seed does not form in any consid¬ 
erable quantity until summer; and it is far better to 
encourage a large plant growth early. I go around my 
seed-beds about the last of April or early May, and cut 
the plants way back, absolutely ruining their appear- 








118 


ance for a week or so. In a short time, however, they 
are in glorious bloom again;—the flowers almost as 
numerous as the stars in the sky. Thirty or forty 
blooms at one time on a single plant are not at all un¬ 
usual ; and we have counted over one hundred seed-pods 
forming at one time on a plant. 

Seed forms fast during the summer and through 
September or longer. I like to go over all my beds at 
least twice a week. Waiting till the pods burst open 
causes much seed to be scattered and lost. Just a little 
before they burst open they point upward; and that is 
the time to gather them. The pod should be picked with 
the entire stem attached. The food in the stem will 
ripen good plump seeds. If picked without the stem, the 
seeds will shrivel. This accounts for the poor germina¬ 
tion of many seeds on the market. 

If one plans to sell the seed locally a very good way 
is to make a display in some big department store or at 
flower shows; arranging vases and platters of the dif¬ 
ferent varieties. It is very attractive and the stores 
are glad to allow space for them. 

It is surprising how interested everyone is in pansies. 
Sometimes I think it is the most popular flower there is, 
for it seems universal that everyone loves pansies. They 
are less ostentatious than gladioli but loved neverthe¬ 
less. Our Portland climate is highly favorable for grow¬ 
ing both these flowers and we are wonderfully rewarded 
in our efforts toward producing flowers of the highest 
degree of perfection. And yet even these beautiful 
flowers are not quite the finest for we have three little 
people lately strayed from the heavenly realms which 
to us are the most wonderful flowers in our gardens 
“wherein shall live only the world’s best.” 












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